Stolen
by Mrs-diAngelo25
Summary: After last summer, Kyra Hale was hoping for a nice summer at Camp Half-Blood with her boyfriend Nico di Angelo. What happens when the Hunters of Artemis stop by the camp trying to find something stolen from Artemis? You shall find out if you read. Part 2 of my series. Rated T 'cause I'm paranoid..
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Nico and I were out on the canoe lake. I was paddling and he was sitting back and sketching. I had been asking him what he was drawing but he wouldn't tell me.

My name is Kyra Hale. I'm a daughter of Apollo. Yes, the Greek god Apollo. The one that is thousands of years old. Yes, that one. I know, it's kinda gross thinking my mom fell for a guy that old but, well, the gods can change their appearances.

Anyway, I was paddling out to the center of the lake. There was a little island with a olive tree growing on it. That was my new favorite place to be alone. The reason I was paddling was because Nico can't maneuver the canoe very well.

When we bumped up against the land, Nico closed his sketch book and got out with me. He helped me drag the small boat onto the small grass and rock covered shore. When we were done, I went and climbed up to the lowest branch on the tree. It must have been an old tree because it was very big for an olive tree.

Nico laid down at the bottom of the tree and opened his book up and started sketching again.

"When will you tell me what you're drawing?" I ask, looking up at the blue sky through the branches.

"When I'm done." he replies, looking up at me and smiling.

I sigh and say, "It's good to be home."

"It's good to have you back. If you were here all the time it wouldn't be quite so boring during break." he says.

This was my second year at Camp Half-Blood. I play with the single bead on my leather necklace. Every year at the last camp fire of the year, a bead is given to each camper. The cabin counselors choose the most important thing that happened that summer at camp about a week before. A cabin is picked to design the clay bead, they make it, glaze it, then fire them. Last year's bead pictured Half-Blood Hill with the sun rising over the top of it.

I jump down from the tree, startling Nico. I had noticed some movement in the water and it hadn't looked like a naiad. I peer in but don't see anything.

"What are you looking at?" Nico asks, sitting up.

"I thought I saw something in the lake." I say.

"Probably a naiad." he says, laying back down.

"Well, naiad or not, I'm getting hot." I say, taking off my tank top to reveal my red and black striped bikini.

"Yes. You are." he says.

I look back at him and roll my eyes saying, "I meant _temperature_ wise."

I slip off my shorts and dive into the cool water. I spring back up and grin.

"You should come in! It feels great!" I call to Nico.

He sighs and closes his book. He gets up and kicks off his flip-flops and pulls his black tee-shirt over his head. I grin. How did I ever get so lucky as to fall in love with this guy and have him love me back? He jumps in and swims over to me. He wraps his arms around me and kisses me.

"I told you it felt great in the water." I say.

"Yea, I know. I didn't really doubt you." he says, grinning.

I kiss him again and he kisses back. We swim around and float for a while. I think about an hour passes before we decide to get out. He swims up to the little island first and I was about to follow when I feel something grab my ankle.

I scream. Nico spins around to see what happened but I had already been pulled under.

**A/N:**

**Mwahahahahah! I bet you guys hate me for leaving it there. Well, you'll just have to wait for an update. Not sure when it will be though. It could be tomorrow or this weekend. Please review!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

I look around the dark water. There's nothing holding my ankle now. I feel a tap on my shoulder and quickly whirl around. Well, as fast as you can whirl around underwater. Floating there is Percy, with a devilish grin on his face. I give him my best death glare. He laughs. It sounds kinda weird underwater.

My lungs feel like they're about to explode and I can hear Nico shouting my name above. I start to swim up and Percy follows. When I pop out Nico has a look of pure relief on his face. I swim over to the island and he helps me out. Percy climbs up as well.

"What the hell was that for?!" I scream at Percy.

He looks at me with barely controlled laughter. "You should have seen your face! It was awesome!" he says, rolling on the ground laughing.

"You are so dead." I say, then tackle him.

"Whoa." he says, the smile wiped off his face and fear in his sea green eyes.

I get mere inches to his face. "You could have killed me. Now, tell me again, what was that for?" I say. I spoke quietly but there was an edge to my voice.

Nico was sitting at the base of the tree, enjoying watching his girlfriend scare the crap out of his older cousin.

"I-It was a joke! I swear on the Styx! Just a joke. Connor and Travis wanted me to do something to mess with you and Nico." he says, shielding his face with his hands.

I get off of him, satisfied with his answer. "Thank you Percy. Come on Nico. I need to speak with the Stolls." I say, putting my tank top and shorts back on.

Percy dives back into the water and starts swimming towards the dock. Nico and I push the canoe back into the water and get in.

"I'm going to kill them." I say, rowing back to camp.

"I'll help you." Nico says.

"I'm sure dad wouldn't mind having a couple more souls." he adds.

After we get back to the dock, I tie the boat up and we get out. I head straight towards the Hermes cabin with Nico on my heels.

When we get there, it's total chaos. Leo Valdez, the Hephaestus counselor, was there chasing an automaton. This automaton looked like a Gila monster with rocket skates on. The Gila monster was obviously malfunctioning. It's head was partially on fire and it was racing around the Hermes cabin.

It was actually a pretty comical scene, but I had other things on my mind. Like strangling the Stoll brothers. I wait for Leo and his lizard automaton to go past the steps again before I walk up the cabin.

I pound on the door yelling, "I know you two are in there! Open the door!"

The door creaks open to reveal a ten year old boy. I must look like an empousa because he pales and his eyes grow huge. I bend down to his level and wipe the angry expression off of my face.

"Hi. Do you know where Connor and Travis are?" I ask the boy, sweetly.

"Oh, um, they went to the stables. Said something about syrup and feathers." he says, obviously still shaken up by my entrance.

"Thank you." I say.

I turn around and the angry look comes back. Nico goes down the stairs beside me and we start towards the stables.

"I think that boy will have nightmares for weeks." Nico says, chuckling.

"He will not! Maybe for just a week, if that." I say, sheepishly.

He laughs and I laugh along with him.

We reach the stables to see Connor and Travis quietly sneaking out of the doors. They see me and their eyes grow huge. They make a run for the Big House.

I kick off my flip-flops and run after them, leaving Nico to check out the stables. I catch up and leap into the air. I end up slamming into both of them. They hit face first onto the ground and groan.

"Okay. You two have some explaining to do." I say.

"What did we do?" Travis cries.

"Oh, let's see. You had Percy nearly drown me in the lake!" I shout.

"Ooh, yea. I forgot about that. Tell us, how scared were you?" Connor asks.

"How scared was I? I was terrified! I thought that a monster had grabbed me! How would you two like it if you were dragged underwater, not knowing what was doing it?" I ask, holding them down.

"Well, we wouldn't really know. See, we're the ones that _pull_ the pranks. Not the ones that _get_ pranked." Connor says, trying to get out of my death grip.

"Well, I think you two ought to be punished, so I'm going to take you to Chiron and see what he thinks." I say, getting up and taking a hold of their shirts.

I drag them up to the Big House to find Chiron and Mr. D playing pinchole. Chiron looks up. It seems like he understands the situation without even hearing the story.

He sighs and says, "Okay. What did you two do this time?"

"They tried to drown me!" I say.

"I see. Let's give them kitchen duty for, what would you say Mr. D?"

"Hmmm. Drowning someone? How about two weeks." Mr. D says, sipping his Diet Coke.

Chiron was about to say something when a camper came rushing up to the porch.

"The Hunters are here!" he says, then rushes back down the stairs.

"The Hunters? I wonder what they're doing here?" Chiron asks no one in particular.

I let go of the Stolls shirts and look up the hill to see several girls in silver clothes coming down to the Big House. Leading them was a girl who looked to be about fifteen. She has spiky, black hair and a grim look on her face. I knew from what the others had told me about the Hunters, that that was Thalia Grace.

**A/N:**

**Hmmmm. I wonder what Thalia and the Hunters are doing there? And what did Connor and Travis do in the stables? It will all be revealed in the next chapter!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Thalia walked up to the porch and smiled at Chiron. She looked over at me and Stolls and had a knowing look on her face.

"Thalia. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Chiron asks, rolling over to her.

"The Hunters and I are searching for something that has been taken from Lady Artemis." she says.

"What would this item be?" he asks.

"Well, it's not really an "item". It's her deer. It was stolen while we were trying to track down Cacus. That deer holds a lot of Artemis's power. If it's killed, Artemis will lose a great amount of her power. She might even die." she explains.

Chiron was about to say something but Nico came marching up the steps. I had to keep myself from laughing. He was covered in maple syrup and white feathers. He glared at Connor and Travis.

"What happened to you?" Thalia asks, entertained by the sight.

"Ask. Them." he says, through clenched teeth, pointing at the Stolls.

Their eyes got huge, once again, and they started to run towards the stairs but I grabbed their shirts again. They both screeched to a halt and walked back to where they had been standing.

"Now that two weeks of kitchen duty is three. You two are dismissed. Nico, why don't you go see Percy and see if he can blast you with some water and get that stuff off of you?" Chiron suggests.

"Okay. Come on Kyra." he says, holding out his hand.

I look at him like he's crazy. "I'm not touching you until that stuff is off. And that includes kissing too." I say, crossing my arms.

"Aww. But Ky, I just feel so happy that Connor and Travis got punished that I feel like kissing you." he says, walking towards me.

"No way, Nico!" I say, running down the steps and towards the Poseidon cabin.

He runs after me, holding out his arms and calling out to me. We left a very confused Thalia on the porch.

I ran to the cabins and saw Percy doing inspection. I sprinted over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Nico-maple syrup-feathers." I pant, trying to get my breath back.

Percy had a quizzical look on his face. "What do you mean Kyra?" he asks.

I turn around and point at Nico. He was walking now, instead of chasing me.

Percy burst out laughing at the sight. "Who did this?" he asks, trying to get his laughter under control.

I look at him with a face that clearly says, "Who do you think?"

He nods and walks over to Nico. I walk over just as Percy is putting down the inspection list. Nico gets in the grass beside the fountain and Percy starts spraying him with water.

After about thirty minutes, all the feathers and syrup were off of Nico.

"Thanks Percy." Nico says.

"No prob. It's the least I could do for what happened earlier today." he says.

"Yea. That's been taken care of. They get three weeks of kitchen duty." I say, a smug look on my face.

"Awesome!" he says, grinning.

"Oh, Thalia's here with the Hunters. They just got here a few minutes ago." Nico says.

"Why?" Percy asks.

"Something happened with Artemis's deer." I say.

"Huh. Well, I'm gonna finish inspection. See ya guys later." Percy says, turning around and getting the inspection list.

"Now can I get a kiss?" Nico asks me.

I smile and say, "Yes."

"Sweet." he says, wrapping his arms around me.

**A/N:**

**I couldn't help myself. Nico had to be the one that got feathers and maple syrup all over him. It was just too funny not to have it that way!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

The next day, we had capture the flag. It was a tradition that when the hunters visited, it was Camp Half-Blood against them. Chiron had explained the rules after dinner for the new campers that hadn't played before.

I remember my first time playing. It had been a week after the battle on Half-Blood Hill and things were cooling down. I had been trying to get my armor on but, being new and never done this before, I was having a difficult time. Nico had come over and helped me get it on. The Apollo cabin had made alliances with Athena, Poseidon, Hades, Hephaestus, and Demeter. We had a pretty good team. When the battle started it was chaos. Arrows were flying everywhere, swords were clanking. That had only been the first five minutes of the game. Eventually, the Hephaestus cabin had gotten the flag and crossed the creek. Our team had won and it had been a glorious night!

Tonight was much the same, except it was the whole camp against the Hunters. I had Mo and Nico by my side. We were sneaking quietly through the woods, looking for Hunters. I saw a flash of silver and I stopped. A second later, a silver arrow flew past my head and embedded itself in a tree mere inches from my head.

I touch the sun pendant and have my bow and arrows, Mo has his gleaming, Celestial bronze sword, and Nico his pitch black Stygian iron sword. Four Hunters step out from behind the trees. This was going to be tricky. The Hunters have very accurate shooting skills. The only reason the one that was shot at me missed, was because it had been a warning shot.

Our only goal was to stall the Hunters and give our team time to get the flag. We started fighting. Silver arrows flying, my white gold ones whizzing through the air, flashes of black and bronze.

We fought those four Hunters for at least thirty minutes before a horn blew, signaling the end of the game. We all put up our weapons and started towards the creek.

When we get there, we see Annabeth holding the flag high over her head. Her hair was all over the place and she had some dirt on her forehead, but she had the biggest grin on her face.

"Camp Half-Blood wins!" Chiron bellows, a smile lighting his face.

The whole camp erupts into cheers. Apparently we've never won against the Hunters.

* * *

After our victory, everyone went to the fire pit and we had a sing-along. The flames were white and yellow tonight and it was thirty feet high.

I was sitting next to Nico, our hands intertwined. Will and Scarlett were in the middle of the last song when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and see that my mom was calling me.

This was strange because while I'm at camp she never calls. She knows I'm busy while here, so I'm usually the one to call her. I get up and head away from the fire.

I answer and say, "Hey."

"Hi, honey." she says.

"Whatcha need?" I ask, leaning against a tree.

"I haven't heard from you in a while so I figured I'd call. How has camp been?" she asks.

"It's been fine. The Hunters of Artemis are here visiting right now. We won capture the flag tonight. Everything has been fairly normal." I say.

"Well, that's good." she says. Her voice is shaky, like she's nervous.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I ask her.

She sighs and says, "Lucas went to the doctor today."

"And?" I say, gesturing with my hand for her to continue, even though she can't see that.

The next thing she says I can barely hear. "He has lung cancer."

I felt like a bomb had just exploded around me. I mean, sure Lucas isn't my real father, but he's been more like one than Apollo has. He's been there when we've needed him.

"How long does he have?" I whisper into the phone.

"Two weeks." she says, her voice hollow and broken.

"Whoa." I say, completely thrown off.

"The doctor said that it looks like it's been there for a while. It's just been progressing over the years." she says.

"When was the last time he went to the doctor?" I ask. I mean, really, if it's been progressing over the years, you'd think you'd notice, especially if you were a doctor like Lucas is.

"I honestly don't know. It's been a very long time." she says.

"Do I need to come home?" I ask.

"Not yet. I'll call when things get really bad." she says.

"Okay. I need to go. I'll talk to you later." I say, hanging up.

* * *

As soon as I hear the crunching of leaves and twigs, I bolt from the tree I was leaning against. I don't want my friends seeing me in this state.

I run all the way to the beach. I sit down and let the tears come. Silent sobs escape my body. I knew that I needed to be back in my cabin soon, otherwise my siblings would start to worry.

After about thirty minutes of sitting there, I feel an arm wrap around me. I glance over to see Mo. I'd never been so grateful to see him in my life.

"Why the tears, Ky?" he asks.

So I tell him about the conversation with my mom. He sits there and listens. When I'm done, he engulfs me in a huge hug.

"Please don't tell anyone about this." I say.

"I promise. It's your choice to tell somebody, not mine. Are you ready? Curfew is in a few minutes." he says.

I nod, reluctantly. He gets up and gives me a hand. We head to the cabins slowly. When we get there, I hug Mo and tell him goodnight.

I go up the steps of the Apollo cabin and open the door. I keep my head down and grab a pair of pajamas out of my cedar chest. I go to the bathroom, wash my face, change, and go back out and into bed.

Nico's probably wondering why I disappeared during the sing-along. I'd tell him tomorrow. Now, I needed to rest.

**A/N:**

**That's some heavy news to have just dropped on you. I can't blame Kyra for running away to the beach. I wouldn't want to talk to anyone for a while after finding out something like that.**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Someone was shaking my shoulder. I groan and put my pillow over my head.

"Kyra. Wake up!" I hear Will tell me.

"Mehgredfred." I mumble from under the pillow.

"What?" Will asks.

I take the pillow off of my head and say, "Five more minutes."

"No. You need to get dressed. We have archery in twenty minutes." he says, snatching the pillow out of my hands.

I give a heavy sight, knowing it's no use trying to stay in bed. If I do, I'll probably end up soaked with ice water. I swear, in the mornings, it's like Will is a commanding officer at a boot camp.

I kick the covers off of me and start to get ready. I pull out my gray tank top and faded short-shorts from my cedar chest.

When I come out of the bathroom, dressed and ready, everyone is waiting for me. I quickly slip on my socks and then tie the laces of my classic hi-tops. Will holds the door open and everyone files out.

* * *

After archery practice, I decided to skip lunch and keep shooting arrows. I was just about to release an arrow when I hear a twig snapping in the woods. I let the arrow fly and it hit the bulls eyes, yet again. I then went to where the noise was coming from.

I had an arrow notched and ready to fly. I peek around the bushes and trees and see a little girl. Well, not little _little_. She was probably about twelve. She was wearing silver clothing that was ripped and dirty. Her auburn hair was a mess of tangles and she was staggering. She had a faint glow around her. I then realized that this was not just a random demigod. It was Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt.

**A/N:**

**Sorry it's taken forever to update! I've had a pretty busy week, with school (bleh), pottery class, and Christmas stuff. I also apologize that this is a really short chapter but, it just seemed like it needed to end here.**

**I hope everyone has had a good week! Today was just another Monday for me. So basically, extremely long and boring. I started reading The Mortal Instruments this past weekend and I LOVE them! They're absolutely amazing! I stayed up till 2-3 in the morning Friday-Sunday finishing the first three books and let me tell you, they are NOT short books. Cassandra Clare did a very good job writing them and I would definitely suggest reading them. Let me warn you though, they're pretty intense books. I'm about to start the fourth tonight and I'll probably be done with it by tomorrow night. I need to buy the fifth!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by the wonderful Rick Riodan.

* * *

I put the arrow back in my quiver and sling my bow behind my back. They immediately transform into the white gold sun locket, safely strung onto my camp necklace around my neck.

I walk cautiously over to Artemis. She doesn't seem to register my presence. She's studying the ground and has her bow and arrows out. It kind of looks like she's tracking something.

Then it hit me. She _was_ tracking something. Her deer. She must have sent the Hunters out to look for it and she went out on her own.

"Lady Artemis." I say.

She looks up and smiles warmly. "Hello young maiden. Have you seen a silver deer?" she asks.

"No m'lady. You look like you're hurt. Do you need any help?" I ask, concerned about the goddess.

Suddenly, she drops to her knees. She clamps her hands over her ears and gives a bloodcurdling scream. I kneel down and try to calm her down. She won't. She curls up in a ball and rocks back and forth, whimpering. It almost looks like the aftermath of a child that has been spanked.

I pat my pockets, trying to find my cell phone. Then, I remember I left it in the cabin this morning because I didn't want any distractions today. I silently curse myself. I carefully help Artemis to her feet. She's shaking and mumbling nonsense.

I walk her through the archery range and we slowly head towards the Big House.

* * *

When we get to the Big House, I'm exhausted. I practically carried Artemis the whole way from the archery range. The whole time she was mumbling. I could never understand what she was saying.

I called for help when we got to the steps. Annabeth had happened to be inside and had heard me. She ran out on to the porch and stopped in her tracks when she saw me. She quickly recovered and ran down the steps. She helped me carry Artemis to the infirmary and then told me to get Chiron and Thalia.

I found Chiron in his office, listening to Frank Sinatra. Yech. I quickly told him the situation and he rushed out in centaur form. Then, I sprinted to the Artemis cabin and found Thalia.

She didn't even let me finish. As soon as she heard Artemis was in the infirmary, she bolted to the Big House.

I was completely exhausted. I've done way too much running today. I slowly walk to the shimmering gold Apollo cabin, right across the courtyard from the Artemis cabin. I walk in and lay down on my bed. None of my siblings are here, so I assume they're in the sword arena shooting at dummies or at the beach. I check my phone but no one had called. I close my eyes and drift off.

* * *

It seemed like only minutes had passed when there was a knock on the door. I stand up, groggy from my nap, and walk over to the door.

Nico was leaning against the frame when I open the door. His eyes light up when he sees me. I smile feebly, still a bit tired. I let him in and he sits down on the red love seat in the cabin. He pats the spot next to him, wanting me to come over. I oblige and lay down, resting my head in his lap.

"Where'd you go last night?" he asks, softly, brushing my short hair out of my face.

I knew he was going to ask that. I sigh and try to keep my calm. I didn't really want to break down at this particular moment. Crying took a lot of energy. Energy I didn't have at the moment.

"My mom called last night. She um-she-." I couldn't get the words to come out of my mouth.

My eyes brimmed with tears and Nico was suddenly alert, realizing that my mom had given me bad news of some sort last night.

"Kyra, what's wrong?" he asks, his eyes pleading for me to tell him.

"Lucas has lung cancer." I whisper. I put my hands over my eyes and take deep breaths.

My brother, John, had taught me this trick. If you feel yourself losing control of your emotions, like you're about to burst, you take three deep breaths. It usually helps calm your nerves enough to get control again.

Nico sits there, speechless. I had composed myself again and was looking at him. I had no doubt that my eyes had lost their usual sparkle.

I was right because he said, "Your eyes aren't laughing."

Nico had told me once that my eyes laughed. I had asked what he meant and he had said my eyes always look happy. No matter the situation, they're always happy. Kind of like they're always laughing.

Even though the atmosphere was sad, I couldn't help but chuckle. Nico might not know it, but he always manages to make me smile when I'm down.

**A/N:**

**Aaaannnd updated! I wonder what's wrong with Artemis? Well, you'll have to keep checking for updates to see!**

**Going away from the story, I've had a very busy week. Got some tests done, crossing my fingers I did alright on them! Thursday I had an orthodontist consult to see if I need braces and, sadly, it turns out I do :( Soooooo not psyched about that. Then today, I went shopping with my mom and sister-in-law. We had a good time, but man it was crowded everywhere! I guess because Christmas is only a few days away.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and want to read the next one! Please please review! They're very appreciated! :)**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

After telling Nico about Lucas, I felt absolutely terrible. I had tried to forget about it as soon as my mom had told me, and it had almost worked, but once I told Nico it was like digging it up all over again.

Now it wouldn't go away. Every thought I had in my mind was about Lucas. I can't even imagine what my mother must be feeling right now. Probably my pain and sadness times a hundred.

Nico and I sat in the Apollo cabin for a while. Just sitting and not talking. I had laid back down with my head in his lap. He was caressing my cheek.

After thirty minutes or so, he took his hand off my cheek. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was looking at me with a sparkle in his eyes and a small smile tugging at his lips.

"What?" I ask, knowing that look.

"Meet me on the dock in thirty minutes." he says, getting up and walking towards the door.

When it closed I was a little perplexed. What could he _possibly_ be up to?

* * *

I was walking to the dock, the whole time wondering what Nico was up to.

I get there and find him putting something in the back of a canoe. He turns around, hearing my approaching footsteps. He grins and beckons me over.

I walk over and he says, "Get in the canoe."

I comply and carefully step in, the small boat rocking back and forth in the shimmering water. He gets in after me with a red bandana in his hand. He leans forward and ties it around my head so I can't see anything.

"Nico, where are we going?" I ask, a little exasperated.

"You'll see." he says. Even though I can't see him, I know he's smirking.

I feel the boat start to move away from the dock and we're soon out in open water.

After about ten minutes, I feel the boat bump up against land. I start to reach up to take my blindfold off but Nico catches my hands.

"Wait in the boat. I promise you can take it off in a few minutes." he says.

I give an indignant huff and cross my arms. I hear Nico chuckle lightly and get out of the canoe. I feel him dragging the small boat onto the land.

Five minutes later, he tells me I can take the blindfold off.

_"Finally!"_ I think, untying it.

When I take it off, I see that we're on the small island with the olive tree. Under the tree, a black blanket is spread out with a package of vanilla Oreos, my favorite, and sparkling white grape juice.

I give a small gasp and climb out of the canoe. I stroll over to the small picnic and stare at Nico with wide eyes. He's standing there, slightly jittery, looking at me.

I walk up to him, inches from his face, and look up at him. I take in his pale olive skin, his bow shaped lips and dark, shaggy hair, and his dark brown eyes. He almost looks like he's holding his breath, waiting for my approval.

A small smile creeps up on my lips and I swing my arms around his neck. I kiss him and he seems a little taken aback for a second, then kisses me back. I pull away and smile at him.

"This is exactly what I needed." I say, my hands resting on he back of his neck.

He gives a shy smile then scoops me up. I wasn't expecting it so I squealed. He chuckles then sets me down on the blanket. He sits down next to me and opens up the Oreos. I pluck one out of the box and separate the cookie in half. I lick the frosting off then eat the two cookies left behind.

Nico leans against the tree, Oreo in hand, and pulls out his sketch book. I hadn't realized he had had it with him. He finishes off the cookie, then opens the book up.

I'm still curious as to what he's drawing, but I know he won't show me until he's done. He draws, sneaking an Oreo every now and then, in the late afternoon sunlight.

Eventually, I pop open the juice. I take a smallish swig from the bottle then offer it to Nico. He shakes his head and I put the bottle back down. He's concentrating pretty hard on the paper. He adds a few more things to the drawing then sighs and smiles, looking up at me.

"Can I see it now?" I ask.

He nods and I take the pad from him. I look at it, absolutely speechless. I look from the drawing to Nico. He drew four different portraits of me.

The first, I'm up in the olive tree, gazing dreamily at the sky. The second, I have my arms crossed and have a stubborn look on my face. The third, I have an arrow notched and ready to fire, a fierce look on my face that says, 'Come any closer and I'll rip your face off with this arrow.' The last is a face shot. My mouth is slightly open and my eyelids are drooping slightly. My short, choppy hair is straight and sorta spiky, with my bangs falling just below my eyebrows.

He captured every part of me perfectly. They look more like photographs than drawings. I carefully put the book down and scoot over to where I'm sitting right next to him. I rest my head on his shoulder.

"They're beautiful, Nico. Thank you." I say.

He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer. He kisses my forehead and I lean against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

We sit there until we see the sun starting to set. We pack up and get back into the canoe and row back to camp. This was, without a doubt, the best day I've had with Nico.

**A/N:**

**This was just a purely fluff chapter. Who knew Nico could draw? A man of many talents... I still like it though! I promise there will be some action and mystery soon.**

**It's been busy week! I got my hair cut on Tuesday and I got it all cut off. Now, as Kyra's is, it's short and spiky. I guess you could say it looks like Thalia's, except my hair is brown not black.. Anyway, the world didn't end today! I have to admit, I wasn't that surprised. I hope you all had a good day today and have a good holiday with your family! Please review! They are much appreciated and you guys rock!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Nico and I got back to the dock and tied the canoe up. I had rowed back and it had taken five minutes instead of ten. Nico got out first then helped me out. We started walking, hand-in-hand, towards the cabins. We had a little time before dinner and had decided to take the picnic stuff back to Nico's cabin.

So, we were walking and I saw Thalia. She was leaning against a tree beside the path. As soon as she saw us she peeled herself from the tree and scurried over to us.

"Kyra, right?" she asks, walking up to us.

"Yea. How's Artemis doing?" I ask.

"She's doing fine. I talked to her and she says she doesn't remember anything after collapsing in the woods." she says.

"Oh. Does Chiron have any input on what happened?" I ask.

Thalia shakes her head. "No. When I left the Big House, Mr. D was about to see what he could do." she says.

Nico snorts. "That's the first time he's done something useful since the war." he says.

Thalia rolls her eyes and I suppress a smile. "Anyway, I was hoping you could come with me to the Big House. Artemis wants to talk to you." she says.

"Okay." I say.

I look over at Nico and say, "I'll see you at the campfire tonight."

I kiss him goodbye and slip my hand from his. Thalia turns and we walk to the Big House.

The walk there was quiet. Thalia and I didn't talk, but it wasn't an awkward silence. Just peaceful.

I could see the Big House when Thalia asks me, "So, you and Nico are dating?"

"Oh, yea. It's been great." I say, a smile tugging at the corners of mouth.

"How long have you two been together?" she asks, glancing at me.

"Since last summer. He brought me to camp and well, it just sorta happened." I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"I never thought he'd find someone." Thalia mutters. She says it more to herself but I heard it.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, he's always been so distant. I mean, when I first met him he was ten. He was so happy then." she says with sad eyes, as if remembering something.

"Then after his sister died he drew away from the world?" I ask. Annabeth had told me last year what Nico had gone through. His sister joining the Hunt and leaving him, then sacrificing herself so her friends could get away from a prototype Talos in the gods' junkyard.

Thalia looks at me with a surprised look, as if she didn't realize I would know that.

"Annabeth told me about that last year." I say.

We had gotten to the Big House and were walking up the steps. Thalia nods her head, understanding now.

As soon as our feet hit the porch, a piercing scream echoes out from the Big House. Thalia and I look at each other then hurry inside.

**A/N:**

**Well, there's chapter eight! I hope you all enjoyed it! I know, I know. It was a ****_really_**** short chapter but I promise next week's chapter will be longer!**

**I got my spacers put in on Wednesday and on New Years Eve., I get my braces /: So not looking forward to that. I had a great Christmas with my mom, dad, brother, and his wife! I got tons of iTunes gift cards so I bought four Green Day albums (Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, and Tre), a Simple Plan album, and a My Chemical Romance album. They're all wonderful but the problem with buying that much music at the same time is you don't know what to listen to first. Anyway, I hope everybody had a great holiday with your family and I'll be back next Saturday with chapter 9! **

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Thalia and I burst inside. I hear whispering down the hall and from the look on Thalia's face, she hears it too. We head in that direction, quietly sneaking toward the closed door it was coming from.

As we get closer, the voices become more distinct. I recognize Chiron's deep, soothing voice and Mr. D's drawling voice. Thalia nudges the door open with her foot. It creaks open slowly and the conversation stops abruptly.

We walk in to see Chiron in centaur form wearing a tee shirt that says, "#1 Centaur!" and Mr. D wearing purple track pants and a leopard print, short sleeved button up. Chiron looks from Thalia to me with a worried expression. Mr. D, on the other hand, has a scowl on his flushed and chubby face.

"I assume you heard the scream?" Chiron asks.

"Yes sir. Was that Artemis?" I ask.

Chiron nods.

"Well? Have you figured out what's wrong?" Thalia asks Mr. D. Her arms were crossed and she had a fierce look on her face.

Mr. D sighs and, if possible, deepens his scowl. "These things take time you know." he drawls.

"It's been an hour! Surely you know _something_ by now?" she says.

"I can't just make answers pop up like magic! You have to be patient." Mr. D says.

Thalia gives an angry huff and marches out of the room. I turn to Chiron with a questioning look on my face.

He sighs and trots over to me. He puts a hand on my shoulder and leads me out of the room. Mr. D follows behind, grumbling about filthy rotten demigods. Well, at least that's what I _think_ he was grumbling about.

We walk down the hall and into a small, light blue and white bedroom. The window was open and the gauzy, white curtains were billowing in the soft breeze. Late afternoon sunlight was pouring into the room and it smelled like freshly cut grass and clean cotton.

Laying on the twin bed was a small girl who looked to be about twelve years old. I recognized her instantly as Artemis from my earlier encounter with her this morning in the woods. Her eyes were squinted shut and sweat was glistening on her forehead. Her auburn hair was brushed and freshly braided and she had on some clean, silvery clothes.

I walk over to the side of the bed and look down at the young goddess. She looks so small. I look back up at Chiron and see he's gazing at me.

"What happened after she woke up in the infirmary?" I ask.

"She panicked a little bit. She was very confused and didn't know where she was. She calmed down a little when Thalia came in and we were able to get her here without any problems. I couldn't figure out what had happened to her though so I called Mr. D in." he explains, gesturing to the wine god himself, who was sitting in a chair browsing through a wine catalog.

"Mr. D, sir." I say.

He looks up with an irritated look on his face, the purple fire in his eyes blazing. "Yes?" he asks.

"Do you have any idea what could be wrong? Is it maybe connected to her missing deer?" I ask.

He scratches his chin, looking up thoughtfully. "It's possible. As I've been told, Artemis's deer carries a lot of her power, her life force basically. Her deer might be being tortured and that would explain why she screams all the time." he says, going back to his catalog.

"Hurt the deer, hurt her." I say, absentmindedly.

"Son of a bi-" I start to say, then stop at Chiron's startled expression.

Suddenly there's a blinding light outside. I shade me eyes from the brightness. When I take my hand away I see a red Maserati Spyder parked just in front of the Big House.

There's hurried footsteps in the hall and then a guy bursts into the room. He's pretty hot. Not just in looks but he's literally _radiating_ heat. He looks to be about nineteen and has straight, blond hair that falls just under his eyebrows. His eyes are a beautiful shade of gold, sparkling like sunshine.

When he sees the bed, his eyes grow wide and he gets an alarmed look on his face. He rushes over and kneels beside Artemis. He caresses her face tenderly.

"What happened? I've been looking for her for a week and I finally found her. Why is she here?" the guy asks, looking at Chiron with a pleading look.

"We have no idea why she's here or how she got here." Chiron says.

"Whoa whoa whoa." I say, making a backing up motion with my hands.

"Who are you?" I ask, turning to face the guy.

He has a mixture of surprise and amusement on his face. "You don't know who I am?" he asks.

I shake my head.

He chuckles. "I'm Apollo, Kyra. Your _dad._" he says, like it should have been obvious.

My eyes widen and my mouth drops open slightly. Now, I've thought about what I'd say to Apollo if I ever met him several times. Something along the lines of, "Why did you just _leave_ my mom? Why did you never visit? Did you even _care_ about me or my mother? Did you care about John even though he's not your son?"

But what came out was, "You-you're Apollo?"

"Yep. That's me." Apollo says, flashing a blindingly white smile.

Before I could say anything else, Artemis starts to wake up. We all put our attention back on her. Well, Chiron, Apollo, and I. Mr. D was still drooling over his catalog.

Artemis opens her silvery eyes and glances around. Her gaze lands on me.

"You saved me." she says, sitting up drowsily.

"Yes, Lady Artemis. Do you remember anything?" I ask, kneeling down beside her.

She rubs her head, as if trying to remember. "I-I was in the woods and I was trying to track my deer. I had run into Marsayas earlier and it had wounded me before I had killed it. I was running through the woods when you found me. The next thing I know, Thalia was beside me in the infirmary." she says.

"Wait, what happened in the woods today?" Apollo asks.

"I'll tell you later." I tell him.

"I wanted to thank you, Kyra. If you hadn't found me out there I don't know what would have happened. I also wanted to offer you a place in the Hunt, if you would like it." she says, her silver eyes locked on my green eyes.

"You're welcome m'lady. As for the offer, I am overjoyed that you would consider me, but my heart has been taken and I don't think I could bear to leave him. I must decline." I say, hoping Artemis wasn't offended by my declination. You never know what could anger a god or goddess.

Artemis nods. "I understand. But, if anything happens, you know how to reach me." she says.

"Yes Lady Artemis." I say.

"I'm rather tired. Could I rest for a while before Dionysus does anything else with my mind?" she asks, with a yawn.

"Of course. We'll leave you for now. Have a nice rest Artemis." Chiron says, backing out of the small room.

Mr. D sighs and gets up, closing his catalog, and follows Chiron. Apollo stands up and comes over to me. He swings an arm around my shoulder and steers me out of the room.

**A/N:**

**Surprise! It's a day early! Well, what do you think about this chapter? And if you were wondering, a Marsayas is an actual Greek creature. It's similar to a satyr with its goat legs and horns. I got the info from a website called mythical creatures list . com. It's a pretty cool site. They have not only a ton of Greek creatures, but creatures from different origins too. Like there's Chinese, African, Celtic, Indian, and a bunch of others. You guys should check it out.**

**In other news, braces suck. I got mine on NYE and was finally able to eat something crunchy today without is hurting like (excuse the language please) fuck. Bleh. I can't wait to get them off.**

**Hope you liked this chapter!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**

**P.S.**

**If you were wondering why I put spaces between the words of the website, it erases it if I don't. Idk why, but there you go.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

After leaving Artemis, I told Apollo about the situation. Apparently, he had no idea that Artemis's deer had been missing. All throughout the explanation, his sparkling golden eyes were trained on my face. It was like he was studying it, making sure he didn't forget it.

I realized where I had gotten my "laughing eyes" from. Apollo had the same kind of sparkle in his eyes that I had in mine. That's probably the only thing I got from him. Well, that and the dimples. My mother doesn't have dimples on her cheeks as I do.

When I was done, Apollo looked as if he was working on a really hard math problem and couldn't quite figure it out.

"It just doesn't make since. Why steal her deer?" he asks.

"Thalia said that most of her power is in the deer. Is it possible to torture power out of something?" I ask him, an idea forming in my mind.

"I suppose. Do you mean like, as you're torturing the deer you're drawing the power out of it?" he asks.

"Yea. Is that possible? If it is, that would explain why Artemis seems so drained." I say.

Realization hits Apollo in the face. "That's it! You're a genius, Kyra!" he exclaims, jumping to his feet.

"Hold up." I say.

"Even if we know what's going on now, we still have no idea who has the deer." I point out.

"Well, we'll just have to find out then, won't we?" Apollo says, with a grin.

"I guess. I'll tell Thalia. She'll probably want to head out and try to find it soon." I say, getting up from the comfy chair I was sitting in.

The dinner horn blew as I walked out onto the porch. I started walking to the mess hall, to meet up with my siblings for dinner. I'd have to find Thalia before the camp fire.

* * *

"Hey, Thalia!" I called after her.

She turned around, looking for who was calling her. She spotted me and walked off of the path. I followed and found her standing beside an oak tree. I quickly told her all that had happened and what Apollo and I had figured out.

"Wow. I'll need to gather the Hunters and we should probably leave in the morning." she says.

"Artemis might want to talk to you when she wakes up again." I say, walking back to the path.

"Yea. I'll catch you later, Kyra." she says, heading in the direction of the Big House.

* * *

The camp fire that night was bight and cheery as usual. I spotted Nico sitting on a log towards the middle section of all the seats. I started making my way over to him, trying not to step on anybody's toes. Now _that_ was tricky.

When I got there, I sat down next to him and laced my fingers with his. He looked over and smiled at me. I smiled back then turned my attention back to the blazing fire. It was twenty feet high tonight and a brilliant gold color.

After several songs and gooey s'mores, everybody started towards their cabins. Nico and I walked there together. I was recounting the afternoon to Nico when Apollo walked up to us.

"Well, I'm leaving to see what I can do to find the deer." he says, putting a hand on my shoulder. His touch was warm and gentle, like a father's should be. It reminded me of Lucas and I was instantly saddened, all the happiness I had been holding onto evaporated.

"Okay. Um, it was nice meeting you, dad." I say. That was possibly the weirdest sentence I've ever said.

Apollo laughs. It was a joyous sound. Like the middle of summer with the sun bathing everything in its beautiful light. "It was nice meeting you too, Kyra." he says.

He notices Nico for the first time and his eyes narrow. "So, Nico di Angelo, you're the guy?" Apollo questions.

"Yes, Lord Apollo." Nico says, straightening up and meeting Apollo's stare.

"I see. Well, take good care of her or I'll have to have a talk with you. I'll see you later Kyra." and with that, he turns and walks to where his car is parked.

**A/N:**

**Bet you guys are surprised I updated early. Well, I'm in a fantastic mood today because Pretty Little Liars premieres tonight and I'm super excited! I'm going to upload chapter eleven as well so you'll have something to think about till Saturday!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

That night I had a dream. It was the first dream I had had since getting to camp and, boy, it was strange.

_I was in a circular room that looked sort of like a shrine. There was no ceiling though and I could see the treetops of pines outside. There were several so I assumed that I was most likely in the woods somewhere. The sky was clear and the moon was directly overhead, bathing the room in it's silvery light. The walls had probably once been shining white marble but now they were gray with dirt and dust. The floor was made up of mosaic tiles making a picture, though I couldn't tell what it was a picture of. The tiles were faded and dirty._

_There was a gleaming stainless steel table in the center of the room with leather straps attached to the sides. On the middle of the table, strapped down with the leather straps, was a luminous silver deer. It was shaking. From the cold or terror or both, I couldn't tell. There was a hooded figure standing over the table, looking down at the poor animal. The figure looked up and it's hood fell down._

_It was a beautiful woman. Her hair was dark brown, almost black, and falling down to her lower back, wavy and curling at the ends. Her skin was as white as snow and her eyes were black as night. Her lips were full and pink. No matter how beautiful she was there was something about her that seemed dangerous._

_"I will soon have what is rightfully mine again! How dare those two ungrateful twins take my brother's and mine positions! It has been years, but we will soon have them back, the moon and the sun!" the woman cackled._

_"Only a few more sessions with this animal and Artemis will be dead. Then we move toward her rotten brother Apollo. We'll have to find his life force and crush it." she says, stroking the deer's back. _

_"Soon, Helios and Selene will rule day and night again!" she says._

* * *

I wake with a start. Morning sunlight is streaming through the gauzy yellow curtains of the Apollo cabin, bathing the cabin in a golden glow.

I sit up and rub my eyes, trying to make sense of the nightmare I had just had. So it was Helios and Selene who have Artemis's deer. I'd have to tell Thalia and Chiron about this. Especially if the two were planning on killing Apollo next.

None of my siblings are up yet so that means I get the bathroom without having to wait! I love my brothers and sisters but it gets so annoying sharing one bathroom. Granted, it's a huge bathroom but still.

I get out of bed and pick a yellow tank top and some cut-off shorts out of my cedar chest. I head to the bathroom to change.

When I look at myself in the mirror, I nearly scream at my appearance. I have a serious case of bed-head and I had forgotten to take my make-up off last night. The result was mascara and eyeliner rubbed all over my face and my eyes blood-shot. Definitely not a pleasant sight.

It was going to take some serious work so, I washed my face and got all the remaining make-up off. Next came the hair situation. I contemplated it for a second then decided to straighten it.

After about fifteen minutes, my short, chocolaty brown hair is all straight. Usually it would only take five minutes to get this result but with how much it had waved and curled while I was tossing and turning last night, well, it took some extra effort. I apply some eyeliner and mascara then head back towards my bed with my pajamas.

I grab my classic hi-tops and some socks and pull them on. Then I head out the door, with my cell phone in my back pocket and the leather cord necklace, with it's one clay bead from last summer and the sun pendant, around my neck.

* * *

At first I had lightly knocked on the Artemis cabin's door. Now, I was banging on it. Obviously the Hunters were _very_ heavy sleepers.

The door creaked open to reveal a disheveled Thalia. She looked about as bad as I had when I woke up. Her spiky, black hair was sticking up in all directions and she had black eyeliner smeared around her eyes. Her pajamas were wrinkled.

"_What_?" she growls.

"Good morning to you too." I say, sarcastically.

"Why are you banging on my door at six-thirty in the morning. When the Hunters are here, it's considered a vacation and on our vacations we get to sleep in. So, tell me, why are you here?" she says.

"I know who has the deer." I say.

_That_ snapped her out of her morning grogginess. She stood up straight and her electric blue eyes were suddenly bright and expectant.

"Well? Who has it?" she asks, eagerly.

"I'll tell you up at the Big House. I need to let Chiron know too. That will give you time to, uh, get ready." I say, eyeing her appearance.

"Of course. I'll see you in fifteen minutes." and with that, she closes the door.

* * *

When I got to the Big House, Chiron was in his office humming to Frank Sinatra. Yuck. He turned around when he heard the door creak open.

"Kyra, what are you doing up? Breakfast isn't until eight." he says, hitting the pause button on the stereo.

"I know. I had a dream. I know who has Artemis's deer." I say.

"You do? Have you woken Thalia?" he asks.

"Yes. She said she'd be here in fifteen minutes. Well, actually, that was after I told her what I knew. Beforehand she was still half asleep and let me tell you, she is _not_ a morning person." I say.

Chiron chuckles. "Let's go out onto the porch and wait for her, shall we?" he says, rolling forward in his wheelchair towards the door.

"Sure." I say, stepping aside so he could get out.

We go out and see Thalia walking towards the Big House. I sit down in one of the many rocking chairs on the porch. Chiron rolls back to where he's sitting beside me.

A couple of minutes later, Thalia's walking up the steps and towards us. She stops in front of me with an expectant look on her face.

"Well, start talking." she says, sitting down in the chair beside me.

So, I tell them about my dream with the strange shrine-like room, Selene and Helios's plan, and lastly, how it looked like the room was in the woods.

"Obviously, Selene and Helios want their jobs back." I say.

"I thought they like, retired. I didn't know that Apollo and Artemis stole their jobs." Thalia says.

"Selene and Helios were up to no good when they ruled night and day. I don't know what their plans had been, but Zeus found out and banished them. He gave their jobs to his twins Apollo and Artemis. That was several hundreds of years ago. Selene and Helios must have escaped from where they were being kept." Chiron says.

"We have to warn Apollo about this. If they somehow manage to kill the deer they'll be looking for his life force next." I say.

Chiron sighs. "Was there anything distinct about the place in your dream? Anything that would tell us where this shrine was?" he asks.

"No. All I know is that it had pine trees surrounding it. I'm pretty sure it was in the woods. It would have to be. That would be the best place to hide something you didn't want found." I say.

Chiron nods in agreement. Thalia had gone very quiet. I look over to see she's staring off into the distance. She was obviously thinking about something.

"What is it, Thalia?" I ask her.

"I was just trying to remember the last place we were with Lady Artemis before her deer went missing." she says.

"You could ask Artemis. If she doesn't know, ask the other Hunters. Someone is bound to know. It wasn't that long ago." I say.

Suddenly, her face lights up. She looks over at me and says, "I know where they are."

**A/N:**

**Hmmmmmmm. I wonder where the shrine is? I hope you liked this chapter will keep you thinking until Saturday!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or the HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

"Wait, so Selene and Helios have the deer and they're camped out in an old shrine in the woods of_ Pennsylvania_?" Mo asks, incredulously.

"Yep. And Thalia has asked if I'll come with her and Phoebe." I say, aiming an arrow.

"You're not going right? We did the whole quest thing last year. Don't you want to just, you know, stay here?" he asks, chopping the head off of a practice dummy.

"I don't know, Mo. I think Thalia kinda needs me there. I mean, I'll recognize the place when I see it. I know I will. And she might just walk right past it and never know it was there." I say, looking at Mo.

Mo and I have been through a lot together. Last summer, a day after I arrived to camp for the first time, Mo arrived as well. After that, we went on a quest with Nico, Percy, and Annabeth to try and find Rachel, the camp's oracle, in New York City. Then, my brother was kidnapped and taken hostage by his "wife", Callie, who was actually a empousa. But Mo and I have also known each other longer than that. We both grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and he had started coming to the pottery class that I had been taking at the time. We were best friends as soon as he had walked into the studio three years ago.

"Have you told Nico yet?" he asks, sitting down and propping his chin in his hands.

"But I haven't even made up my mind yet." I say, turning to look at him.

"Ky, I know you and I know that you already have. You're going and there's nothing I can say or do to stop you." he says.

I sigh and sit down next to him. "No, I haven't told him yet. I haven't had the chance to talk to him at all today. I went over to wake up Thalia at six then I went to the Big House. I told Chiron and Thalia at the same time then Thalia remembered the last place they were with Artemis's deer and after that everything was just crazy." I say, slightly winded.

"He's not going to like it. He'll probably try to follow you." he says.

"I know. I thought about that. I'm going to talk to Chiron about it and see if he can somehow keep Nico here." I say.

"Well, we better finish up. I've got free time after this and I want to take a nap before dinner." Mo says, standing up and grabbing his sword.

* * *

"How is he?" I ask my brother, John.

"He's very weak. I'm not sure how much longer he has, Ky. At this rate, I'd say about a week. Mom is an absolute disaster. She hides it when she's around Lucas, but when it's just me, she falls apart." John says, on the other line.

"Please call me when I need to come home. I want to see him before he-" I couldn't even say it. I couldn't say "dies". It was just too painful.

"I will." he says, his voice soft.

"I need to go. I'll call you later, John." I say.

"Okay. Love you, Ky." he says.

"Love you too." I say, pressing the end button on my cell phone.

I was sitting on the dock, watching the naiads weave their baskets. I had figured I should call John and ask about Lucas's condition. Obviously, he wasn't getting any better.

The sun was low in the sky, staining it blood red and orange. It was almost time for dinner. I had decided to tell Nico that I was going with Thalia to find the deer after the camp fire tonight.

The horn sounds and I get up, slipping my phone into my back pocket. I glance at the naiads again before turning around and heading to the mess hall.

* * *

I was in the middle of eating dinner. My siblings we all chatting around me, debating what singer is better: Adele or Christina Perri. I liked both but had decided to stay out of the argument tonight. I just wasn't feeling up to it.

I was nudging a couple of strawberries around my plate when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Nico, grinning his beautifully boyish grin.

"Come on. I want to show you something." he says, taking my hand.

"But I'm not done eating yet." I say, gesturing to my plate with a slice of organic cheese pizza and two strawberries on it.

"Come on. I promise you won't be sorry." he says, tugging my hand.

"Fine." I sigh, standing up from the table.

"I'll see you guys later tonight." I tell my siblings.

They bid me goodbye then go back to their argument. I roll my eyes at them and let Nico drag me out of the dining pavilion.

* * *

It's almost dark out when Nico walks through the gap of two oak trees. He pulls me along behind him, walking on a nearly invisible path.

"Nico, where are we going?" I ask, slightly exasperated.

"Be patient. We're almost there." he says.

He stops and tells me to close my eyes. I oblige and he walks me forward about ten feet. He tells me I can open my eyes and I do.

The scene before me is completely amazing. We're on a small cliff overlooking sloping hills. They're covered in flowers that glow a silvery white in the moonlight. There's a stream at the bottom of the hills, trickling along peacefully.

"The flowers are called Moonlace. They only bloom at night when the moon it out." he says.

Nico never ceases to amaze me. First the picnic on the island and now this. He's quite incredible. I look at him, my eyes huge. He's sitting on the ground gazing at the glowing hills. I sit down next to him and look at them too.

"How do you find these places?" I ask after a while.

"Sometimes I can't sleep so, I just walk around. I get lucky every once in a while and stumble onto places like this." he says, gesturing to the hills.

"You're great, Nico. I hope you know that." I say, leaning my head onto his shoulder.

"I do, but it's nice to be reminded every now and then." he says.

I chuckle. Nico can be very full of himself sometimes but he's always true at heart.

"Nico, I-" I start but he cuts me off.

"I know you're going with Thalia. I'm not exactly psyched about it, but I know you'll be safe with her. If I could go, I would. But, Phoebe won't travel with boys. That's why I brought you here tonight. I was going to give this to you tomorrow, but since you're leaving tomorrow here it is now." he says.

I sit up and look over at him. Sitting on his lap is a black box with silver ribbon. I hadn't even noticed it was there. He hands it to me and I open it.

Inside is a black canvas backpack. It has four pockets on the outside, lined with gold, that fasten with golden buckles. The top is a flap held shut by a magnetic button.

I look at him, wondering why he's given me this beautiful gift. He must have seen the confusion in my eyes because he says, "Happy birthday, Ky."

I had been so occupied the past few days that I had completely forgotten that tomorrow was my birthday. A small smile crept onto my lips. I place the backpack back into the box and then hug Nico.

"Thank you, Nico. You sure do know how to spoil a girl." I say, pulling back and grinning at him.

"Well, I've never had anyone to spoil and I'm glad it's you. You deserve everything wonderful in the world." he says, pulling me down onto the ground with him.

"I love you." I whisper, laying down on my side next to him.

"I love you too, Ky." he says, kissing me.

**A/N:**

**Well, it's just past 1 A.M. where I am so, technically, it's Saturday. I'm updating now because I don't know if I'll have time tomorrow.. or later today.. you know what I mean! If I do have time, I'll post another chapter! Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**XOXO,**

**A very tired Mrs-diAngelo25 ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Disclaimer: Sadly, I am not Rick Riodan so I don't own the PJ or HoO series.

* * *

It was five in the morning when my phone started buzzing. I had set my alarm on silence so it would only wake me up and not disturb my siblings.

I pull the covers off and get a pair of skinny jeans and my camp tee shirt out of my trunk. I walk quietly to the bathroom to change and straighten my hair. I figure I won't be taking a shower for a while and my hair will stay straight.

I walk out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to leave, to find Will sitting on my bed. I head over and pull my new backpack out of my trunk, replacing it with my pajamas. I had packed it last night so I wouldn't have to this morning. There was ambrosia and nectar packed in zip locks, a spare set of clothes and socks, a water bottle, and some money.

"What are you doing up?" I ask Will, sitting down next to him to put my beloved hi-tops on.

"To say goodbye to you before you left." he says.

"Oh." I say, tying my laces.

"Yea. But, um, listen Ky. This is my last year here because I'm going to college next year. I-I want you to be the counselor next year." he says, quickly.

I stare at him. It hadn't occurred to me that Will would be eighteen in December.

"I-Why me? Why not one of the others that have been here longer?" I ask him.

"Because. You seem like you could handle it better than anyone else. I have faith that you can do it." he says.

I reach over and hug him. "Okay. Then, I'll do it. But you better call me all the time when you're at college." I tell him, pulling out of the hug.

"Of course! I'll call you every week." he reassures me.

"When are you going to tell them?" I ask, quietly, gesturing to the other beds with sleeping forms on them.

"Tonight. It will be hard since I've been here so long, but I think once I tell them you're going to take over it will be better." he says.

I check my phone and see it's five-thirty. "Dammit." I say.

"What?" Will asks.

"I have to go meet Thalia and Phoebe in five minutes. Tell everybody I'll see them soon, okay?" I say.

"Will do. I'll see you when you get back. Be careful, Ky." he says, hugging me again.

"I will. Oh, can you keep an eye on Nico? Make sure he stays here? I have a feeling he's going to try and follow us." I say, standing up and slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

"Sure. See you later." Will says.

"Bye." I say, then close the cabin door behind me.

* * *

When I walked up the hill, I could hear shouting. I started jogging up and by the time I got to the top I was winded. I looked to see where it was coming from and saw three figures just inside the camp border.

I started over to the figures. As I got closer I could make out Thalia's lean and muscular figure and Phoebe's tall and skinny figure. When I got all the way there I saw that the third person was Nico.

"You can't go Nico! You know why." Thalia was telling him.

"But you know what happened that last time I let someone I loved go with the Hunters." Nico argued.

"I promise she'll be safe with me Nico. I won't let anything happen to her. And it's not like she's made out of fine china. She can protect herself just fine." Thalia said. She sounded a little exasperated.

"What's going on?" I ask, startling all three of them.

"Nothing. Nico was just coming up here to say goodbye to you. We'll be down at the car. Come on Phoebe." Thalia says, walking across the border and down the hill.

I turn to Nico. I just knew he would do this. I knew he didn't want me going. He was afraid I wouldn't come back. But I would. I needed to. I couldn't just leave him. I couldn't just leave my mom or brother either. Especially now. Not with Lucas's condition.

I walk over to him and take his hands. I look up into his dark eyes. "I _will_ come back, Nico." I say, firmly.

"But when Bianca left-" he starts but I cut him off.

"Bianca had just been introduced to this world and didn't have any training. I've had a whole year to adjust to it and train. I'll come back Nico. You have to believe me." I plead.

He sighs. It was a sound between exhaustion and self-disgust. "Fine. But if anything happens, call me. _Please_. I can be there in seconds. All you have to do is tell me where." he says.

I can tell he's about to loose it. This is almost too much for him to handle. He's already lost Bianca and he can't bear to lose me too.

He starts to open his mouth again to talk, but I kiss him. He pulls me close, pressing our bodies together. The kiss seems almost desperate, like he'll never see me again, much less kiss me again.

I pull back, reluctantly, and look at him. He looks so worried. His forehead has creases in it, like he's having trouble making a decision. His eyes are full of worry.

"I'll come back." I whisper. It was soft but firm. I was telling him that I wouldn't just abandon him.

He nods, like it's all he can do, and kisses me one last time. I squeeze his hand before I let go and start down the hill. When I get to the bottom where the car was, I glance up to see him staring down at the car.

I force myself to look away and get into the car. I was determined to come back. I was going to come back. No matter what it took, I was.

**A/N:**

**I had time! Today has been really busy. I had pottery class this morning then when I got home I had some homework. Bleh. Then, I had to do some chores and stuff. Another bleh. But anyway, this chapter was extremely short and I'm going to upload the next one in a few minutes!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by the wonderfully brilliant Rick Riodan.

* * *

Argus had just dropped us off at the Greyhound station in the city. Phoebe, Thalia, and I wove our way through the crowded station toward the ticket booth.

When we got there, the line was extremely long. Thalia made a frustrated sound and stomped her foot. I had to hold back a laugh. She was fifteen but she acted like she was eight years old sometimes.

When we finally got to the booth, tickets to Pennsylvania were sold out. I'm pretty sure Thalia was about ready to rip her hair out. It would have been funny if our situation wasn't so serious. We only had a couple of days to get to Pennsylvania, find the shrine which is _somewhere_ in the woods, get the deer, and defeat Selene and Helios. Now, I don't know if it's just me but, all of that seems nearly impossible.

Thalia turned on her heel, with a murderous look on her face, and marched toward the station's exit. Phoebe and I looked at each other then hurried after her.

We found her outside, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, muttering to herself. Phoebe walked up to her, hesitantly, and laid a hand on her shoulder. Thalia froze and looked at Phoebe.

They started talking and Thalia didn't look very happy. Eventually, Thalia had her arms crossed and a stubborn look on her face. I walked over, sensing that the bomb named Thalia, was now deactivated.

"What's the plan now?" I ask.

"Plan B is to summon the Gray Sisters and see if they'll take us." Phoebe says.

"Who are the Gray Sisters?" I ask.

"You'll see." Thalia says, a bit grimly.

I was a little scared now. I had no idea who these "Gray Sisters" were or what they did. I wasn't too psyched when Phoebe dragged Thalia and I down a dark alley.

Thalia took a golden drachma out of her pocket and threw it on the ground, chanting. The drachma sunk into the ground and the black asphalt started to bubble and smoke. The dark gray smoke started weaving itself into a shape. Soon, it was in the form of a taxi.

There was a sign on the side that said "The Gray Sisters Taxi Service". The passenger window rolled down and I nearly screamed. Sitting there, grinning an ugly one toothed smile, was an old hag-like lady. Her eyelids were sunken in, like she didn't have eyes, and her skin was an ashy gray color.

"Do you seek passage?" the old woman asked, in a voice that was like nails scratching a chalk board.

"Yes ma'am. Three to the Bear Creek Preserve in Pennsylvania." Thalia said.

The old woman screeched, an even more horrible sound than her voice. "No! Terrible things are stirring there. We do not travel where terrible things are stirring." and with that, she rolled up her window and the cab dissipated into nothingness.

I looked at Thalia and Phoebe's shocked faces. Apparently, that had never happened to them before with the Gray Sisters.

"So, um, is there a plan C?" I ask.

"There is. But it's definitely not the best plan in the world." Thalia mumbled.

* * *

After praying for almost thirty minutes and a lot of burned granola bars, he finally showed up. He looked the same as I had seen him a few days ago, if a bit more irritated. Apollo, my father, stood in front of us in a dark alley.

"What do you want?" he asks.

"Dad. I'm so sorry about this. But, we know where the deer is." I said.

He was suddenly all ears. "Yes? Where is it?" he asks, eager to know.

"Before we tell you, you have to swear on the Styx you'll do what we say." Thalia says.

Apollo sighs but says, "Fine. I swear on the river Styx to do what you say. Now, will you _please_ tell me?" he asks.

So, I explain our situation. The sold out tickets to Pennsylvania and the Gray Sisters declination to take us to the Bear Creek Preserve where Thalia thinks the deer is.

"Okay. I'll take you there. But, I'm coming with you, all the way." he says.

Phoebe audibly groans. Thalia just rolls her eyes. I don't really see the problem except that if Selene captures Apollo somehow, she could find his life force and kill him.

"Fine. We need to go then. I don't know how much longer Artemis has." I say.

"Follow me." Apollo says, turning towards the street.

We follow and find his red sports car. It was still glowing, but it didn't seem to be radiating heat. It probably had something to do with it being cloudy.

Thalia and Phoebe got in the back and Apollo hopped into the drivers seat. I hesitated a split second before getting into the passenger seat.

Thalia looked a bit green, but I didn't question it. Phoebe just looked irritated and cross. It suddenly dawned on me that we were traveling with a guy. That's why Phoebe looked so angry. I felt like smacking myself.

The soft rumble of the car's engine broke me out of my thoughts. Soon, we were flying. And I don't mean like, going really fast (although we _were_ doing that), I mean, _literally_ flying!

It was amazing up in the sky! I had never felt anything so exhilarating in my life. I looked over at Apollo and saw he was grinning at me.

But, the ride didn't last that long. Maybe five minutes. Soon, we were landing in a patch of grass in a small clearing. We all got out of the car and took in our surroundings. It was cloudy here, like it was in New York, and there was a slight breeze. All around us were trees and bushes.

"So, how exactly are we going to find this place?" I ask, turning to Thalia.

"I feel a strong power coming from that way." Apollo says, pointing to the west.

"Well, let's get going then. We don't know how much time we have left." I say, hitching up my backpack on my shoulder.

* * *

We had been walking for almost two hours. It was getting darker out, a sign that the sun was getting lower. Not only were we hopelessly lost in the woods, but it was starting to rain.

My mind started to wonder as we walked deeper into the woods. "_I wonder what Nico's doing right now. He's probably worried sick about me. He's probably pissed off at Thalia for not letting him come with us. Who can blame him for wanting to come though? After what happened with his sister, I'm surprised he didn't show up at the Greyhound station begging me to not go."_

Suddenly, Thalia came to a jerking stop. I would have fallen into her if Apollo hadn't reached out and stopped me. She was standing there, almost as if she were frozen.

Phoebe started to ask her something but Thalia held up a hand, indicating for us to be quiet. I hear a few leaves crunching. I'm alert now. My senses sharpened, letting me hear and see better. Thalia moves forward, slowly and quietly. She beckons for us to follow and we do.

We come to a lot of pine trees. I walk up closer to the trees and peer past them. I give a small gasp. Sitting there, in plain sight, was the shrine. It looked just as dirty outside as it had in the inside in my dream.

Apollo and Phoebe came forward when they heard me gasp. They were staring at the small marble building in wonder. Thalia was the first to step forward.

Surprisingly, nothing happened. No monsters or angry gods. Just silence. I started to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It shouldn't be this easy.

I mean, sure, it would be wonderful if it could be that easy. But when gods are involved, and angry ones at that, nothing is ever as simple as snapping your fingers.

Phoebe went next, following Thalia's light tread. I looked at Apollo and saw he was staring daggers at the dirty building. I realized what he was planning to do. He thought he was just going to march in there and take the deer without any competition.

I take him by the arm and drag him away from the circle of pine trees. He looks confused as to why I was interrupting his plan to get the deer.

"Listen." I say.

"You can't just barge in there. They'll be expecting that and they've probably set a few traps inside. If they manage to capture you, they'll force you to tell them what your life force is and where it is. Then, they'll kill you once they get it. You are _not_ going to just march in there and get the deer. Understand?" I ask him.

He looks shocked that I'd even have the nerve to talk to him like that. But, he nods, reluctantly.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way, we can figure out how to get it out of there." I say, turning on my heel and going back towards the circle.

When I get there, I see Thalia and Phoebe have their bows out. I touch the sun pendant around my neck and it transforms into the beautiful white-gold bow I have come to love. I feel the pressure of the quiver full of arrows against my back. I look over to Apollo to see he has a pure gold bow in his hands as well.

We sneak towards Thalia and Phoebe. They were crouching down close to a high window. They looked as if they were listening to a conversation going on inside.

I make it over, with Apollo on my heels, and sink down next to the two Hunters. There _was_ a conversation going on inside. I hear Selene's velvety voice drift down from the window.

"-soon have reign again, my brother!" she was saying.

A new voice came in, one I didn't recognize. It was a man's voice, deep and booming.

"Yes, my sister! Then we can officially throw those two brats into Tartarus where they belong. I still can't believe Zeus chose them over us. He didn't even know our full plan." the man says. Obviously, the man talking was Helios.

I could just see the former sun god pouting. I looked over at Apollo. He was fuming. I was surprised he hadn't broken his bow in half already by the way he was gripping it.

"Now, brother. Soon, it will all be forgotten. All those years we had to spend on that dreadful island. Soon, all the Olympians will be on that island, suffering for eternity while we take over." Selene says.

"Yes, I know. It's just so frustrating! Why can't Apollo's life force be easier to find? Why couldn't it have been like, his favorite lyre or something? Ugh!" Helios moans.

"Now now. Calm down Heli." Selene says.

I couldn't hear anything after that. I take a risk and slightly peeked over the window sill and into the room. What I saw sickened me. Selene had her arms wrapped around Helios's neck, much like I do with Nico, and they were _kissing._

I crouch back down, trying to hold down the granola bar I had had a few hours ago. The others were looking at me with some concern. I must have looked sick.

I motion for Thalia to look in the window. She does and comes back down with a disgusted look on her face. Phoebe and Apollo look next and had the same looks on their faces.

"Let's go eat dinner Sel. I hear there's a great Italian place downtown." Helios says. I guess they were done kissing.

Selene giggles. I wanted to be sick on the spot. "Okay, Heli!" she says.

I look and see that where we were crouching, Selene and Helios would spot us as soon as they walked out the door. I motion, a bit urgently, toward the door and we quickly scurry toward the back of the building.

A few seconds later, I hear the door open and Selene's giggles. There was the sound of crunching leaves and twigs as they walked outside of the pine circle.

Once I didn't hear the receding footsteps anymore or Selene's giggles I say, "I think I need to be sick over by that tree."

"Me too. That was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. I can't even imagine me and Jason-" Thalia started to say, but broke off shuddering and turning a pale shade of green.

"Well, should we go investigate inside? You know, before they get back from their dinner?" Phoebe asks.

"Yea. Come on guys." Thalia says, getting up and starting towards the door.

Apollo, Phoebe, and I walk quickly after her and inside the shrine.

**A/N:**

**Yech. Brother and sister dating. Just yech. I wonder what they'll find inside? Well, you'll just have to read next week!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Thalia nudged the door open with her foot. She went in first then motioned for us to follow. Phoebe went in, followed by Apollo and me. It was strange being in a place for the first time but not actually the first time at all.

The others were looking around, checking for traps and the like, while I searched for the deer. The table that it had been strapped to in my dream was empty.

After searching the whole place, I find nothing. I give a sound of angry frustration and stomp my foot. I would have thrown my bow to the ground but I thought that seemed a little too childish. The others had come up with nothing as well and were just as confused and I was.

"It just doesn't make any sense. This _is_ the place you saw in your dream, right Kyra?" Thalia asks.

"Yes. It's exactly the same except that the deer isn't here. In my dream it was strapped to that table." I say, pointing to the gleaming, stainless steel table in the middle of the room.

Thalia walks over to the table and begins examining it. She feels the sides and the underside of it. After a few minutes, she comes up with nothing.

"Let me look." Apollo says, sauntering over to the table.

Thalia moved out of the way as he slung his bow over his shoulder and bent down on one knee to look under the table. He began feeling his way under the thing. I hear a click and the table started to sink down. Apollo looked up with a smug look on his face.

When the table had descended all the way, it had revealed a marble staircase leading down. Apollo went first, down into the darkness. He called up and said it was safe. I went down, followed by Thalia and Phoebe.

As my feet hit the floor at the bottom, I hear a cry of surprise. My head snaps in the direction of the sound. When my eyes adjust to the dimness of the room, I see Apollo in a cage. The whole thing looked like is was made of gold.

He was prying at the bars but they wouldn't budge. I dart over to him, with Thalia and Phoebe at my heels, without thinking. I run right into a sticky substance. Within seconds, the substance hardens and I can barely move. From Thalia and Phoebe's grunts, they had run into it too.

I give up struggling against the stuff and go limp. "What now?" I ask.

"Well, we can't very well go anywhere, can we?" Thalia snaps.

I see something glowing at the corner of my eye, preventing me from replying to Thalia's snarky comment. I manage to look over all the way and see another cage. This one was much smaller than the one Apollo was in and inside was the deer I had seen in my dream.

"Thalia!" I cry, relief and joy flooding throughout me.

"What? What is it?" she asks, sounding slightly panicked.

"The deer! It's right next to me in a cage!" I say, excitedly.

"Well, it doesn't do us much good, being trapped and all." she says, glumly.

I freeze up. "Wait. I think I might have a way of getting us out of here." I say, a light bulb snapping on in my head.

"What?" all three of them ask, simultaneously.

"Nico. If I can reach my phone from my back pocket I can tell him exactly where we are and he can come and free us." I say, already trying to free my right arm from the hard, sticky stuff.

"Well, it's as good an idea as anything." Thalia mumbles.

* * *

"Almost-got-it." I grunt. I don't know how long I had been trying to free my arm. It could have been fifteen minutes or an hour.

"Got it!" I practically yell.

I reach around and dig my hand into the back pocket of my jeans and get my cell phone out. I quickly unlock it and go to Nico's number.

He picks up on the first ring. Obviously, he had been hoping I'd call, telling him I was okay or that I needed his help.

"Kyra? Are you okay?" he asks, quickly.

"Um, I'm in a sticky situation." I say.

"What kind of situation?" he asks.

I explain what had happened after Selene and Helios had left on their "date" and what had happened when we found the entrance to the dungeon-like basement of the shrine.

He listened quietly all throughout the explanation but once I was done he exploded with questions.

"What is your location? Do I need to bring someone with me? How long do you think it will be before Selene and Helios get back? Are you _sure_ you're okay?" he asks, all in one breath.

"Slow down. If you would bring Mo along with you that would be great. I'm not sure how long it will take to get us out of this stuff and Apollo's cage is another topic altogether. We also have to figure out how to free the deer. I don't know how long it will be before they get back so it would be best if you hurried." I say.

"Your location?" he asks. I could hear the clank of metal and knew he was gearing up in his black armor.

I sigh an exhausted sigh, but told him exactly where we were in the Bear Creek Preserve.

"Okay. I'll be there in about five minutes." he says.

"I'll be here." I say, wryly.

"I love you, Ky. I'll see you soon." he says.

"I love you too." I say, then bring the phone away from my ear and press the end button.

"So, is he coming?" Thalia asks.

"Yes. He's bringing Mo with him too. He said he'll be here in about five minutes." I say.

"Good." Thalia sighs. She sounds completely and utterly exhausted.

"Um, dad?" I ask, a thought popping up in my mind.

"Yea, Kyra?" he asks.

"What exactly happened? I mean, what were Selene and Helios planning that got them exiled?" I ask.

He sighs. "The same old thing. Overthrowing the Olympians, world domination, bending the humans at their will and killing all the demigods. You know, what every bad guy in the past has tried to do and failed." he says.

"Oh. Earlier, they were talking about Zeus having exiled them to an island. What island were they talking about?" I ask.

"Kólasi eínai kalýteri." he says, in Greek.

"Hell is better." I translate.

"It's not an island on the Earth. It's like Calypso's island, Ogygia. It's here but nowhere at the same time. This one was created for misbehaving gods and goddesses. They would live in a state of hallucinations all the time. The things they hated most would surround them all the time, never leaving them. How they possibly escaped that infernal island, I have no idea." Apollo says.

"It sounds absolutely dreadful." Phoebe says.

"Oh, it was." a cool voice says behind us.

**A/N:**

**I've decided to start updating twice a week. It doesn't seem fair to make you guys wait a whole week for one chapter considering where this story is going. I just finished chapter 21 this afternoon! Oh my gods it's so intense! I'm just going to say that chapter 17 is absolutely heartbreaking and I sobbed while writing it then editing it. But, you'll have to wait till Saturday to read it! Sorry. I know, I know. I'm absolutely evil making you guys wait four more days for it but, what can I say? I've got stuff to do and I can't spend ****_all_**** my time writing, no matter how tempting it is. ;) ;)**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Apollo's head snapped up to look at who had spoken. I couldn't turn my head all the way around to see who it was, but I already knew.

"Selene." Apollo growls.

"Oh, Apollo. Sweet, beautiful Apollo. You could always join Helios and I. Leave your sister to die and give up your place as the sun. We could build a new world together, you, Helios, and I. It will be a grand world!" she says, gliding over to stand next to Apollo's cage.

"I will never join you. You're filth and you know it. That's why we sent you to Kólasi eínai kalýteri." Apollo spits.

"Have it your way, then." Selene says, her beautiful face darkening.

"And who do we have here? Your daughters?" she asks, coming over to Thalia, Phoebe, and I.

Phoebe makes a gagging sound. I could just see Thalia rolling her eyes, a disgusted look on her face. I, on the other hand, remained impassive.

"Oh, I see. Those two are _Hunters_. You, my dear, are his daughter." she says, caressing my face.

I flinch at her cold touch and struggle to pull out of the disgusting, sticky stuff. Sadly, it didn't work. Selene chuckles.

"Where is your brother Selene?" I ask.

"Oh, he can't be out at night. The only time we can be together is at twilight, when the sun and the moon are both out." she says.

"I see. When exactly did you two hook up? You know, that's disgusting right?" I ask.

"That is none of your-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Have you two _done_ it? Because that would be _seriously_ gross. Even worse than just kissing each other. That would be going_ all the way_." I say.

Selene's face was red with fury. "I think I've heard quite enough out of you." she says, through clenched teeth.

Suddenly, her hand was flying up to my mouth. I feel something sticky on my lips. I have to force away the temptation to gag. The stuff that was all over me was now on my mouth and it smelled horrible. Like rotten eggs and boiled cabbage. But, I had stalled her long enough. While I had been infuriating her, I had seen a flash of black Stygian Iron. Nico's sword.

Selene was walking over to the cage next to me that held the deer. It had started to tremble and back away from the locked door. I felt incredibly sorry for the creature. There's no telling how much pain Selene and Helios had inflicted on it.

Her hand was mere inches away from the lock when a Celestial Bronze dagger flew from behind her and stabbed her hand. She jerked back, crying out in pain. She pulled it out, golden ichor dripping onto the stone floor, and looked around to see where it had come from.

Her eyes narrowed on me, even though I couldn't have possibly reached into my leg strap on my left thigh and pulled it out. Mine was still there. I had recognized the dagger though. It was Mo's. Not only was he incredible at sword fighting, but he had great aim when it came to throwing daggers.

Selene marched over to me. "Speak." she hisses, waving her hand in front of my mouth. The goop turned into water and drenched the front of my shirt.

"You threw this. I know you did, you little brat. You're just like your father." she spits in my face, pointing the dagger awfully close to my throat.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to my girlfriend like that." a voice says from the shadows.

I nearly wanted to cry out in joy. I wasn't sure exactly when Nico would decide to come out, but I'm glad he did when he did.

Selene spins around, trying to locate the voice. I see a shadow move behind her and had to keep myself from smiling. She was still looking forward, trying to look through the darkness, when a pitch black sword came around from behind her and right to her neck.

I see Mo dart past me and start to work on freeing Thalia and Phoebe. I turn my attention back to Nico and Selene. She had frozen and Nico was standing there, with his sword, as if daring her to move.

No one can kill a god or a goddess, but you can wound them. I don't even want to imagine how much a sword to the throat would feel like.

Selene started to move but Nico dug his sword into her throat, causing golden ichor to drip down her collar bone. She made a slight whimpering sound, but he didn't budge.

"Wh-Where's Helios?" she asks, her voice trembling.

"Oh, he was asleep. Like, in a really deep sleep. I summoned my father and Zeus and had them take him away. Almost every god you can think of are reinforcing the island and you and your brother will be there for all eternity. There's no way you two will be able to break out of there once it's finished." Nico says. His voice was quiet but it had a deadly edge to it.

That's when Selene made the wrong move. She tried to duck down and out of Nico's grasp but he was prepared for that. As quick as you'd snap your fingers, he had slit her throat spewing golden ichor all over the place. I had tried to look away, but hadn't in time. Even though she was still alive, just unconscious, it had scared me. She looked so human that it was hard to believe she wasn't.

Nico took a pair of manacles off the wall and fastened one onto her right wrist, then slid the chain through a loop embedded in the wall and fastened the other one on her left wrist.

When that was done, he rushed over to me. He inspected the sticky goop then looked around the dungeon. His eyes locked on an old-fashioned water pump. He went over and got the bucket that was next to it and started pumping the water.

He came back over to me and splashed a bit on the arm that was stuck. The goop melted and dripped onto the floor. He grinned at me then splashed my legs and feet. Soon, I was soaking wet, but I was free. Mo had gotten Thalia and Phoebe free the same way and they were soaked as well.

"Hello? Still trapped in this cage over here." Apollo calls.

I run over to the cage and look around for a key. Something gold shimmered on the wall and I look over. On a hook in the wall was large key ring with two keys on it. One was gold and the other was silver.

I grab the ring and jam the gold key into the lock on the cage. The door swings open and Apollo steps out. He looks at me then, surprising me completely, enveloped me in a huge bear hug. After a shocked second I hug him back.

"Sorry to break up this sweet father-daughter moment, but can I have the key to free the deer?" Thalia breaks in.

Apollo releases me and I turn around to look at Thalia. I toss her the keys and she catches them. She and Phoebe rush to the small cage and unlock it. It takes a few minutes, but they were finally able to get the poor animal to come out.

Nico was over by Selene. He had driven his sword into the ground and he was chanting rapidly. I assume he was summoning Hades and/or Zeus so they could take Selene.

A thick black smoke enveloped Selene and a moment later, she wasn't there. I walk over to Nico, slightly surprised.

"Where did she go?" I ask him.

He looks over at me and takes my hand. "I sent her to my father. He'll contact Zeus and the two of them will soon be on that dreadful island again." he says.

"We need to get back to the camp right away. To restore Artemis fully, she has to have her deer." Apollo says.

"Well then, let's go." I say.

Everybody starts up the old marble stairs, ready to be out of the musty dungeon. Thalia is cradling the deer in her arms. The deer obviously isn't a normal deer because it's so small. It's about the size of an adult beagle.

When we get to the top, the moon is in the sky, bathing the room in it's silvery glow. It looked exactly the same as it had in my dream except that the table was empty and Selene was not lurking over it.

We all walked out of the shrine and into the open. It had gotten a bit chilly when the sun had gone down but it still felt pretty good outside. We started in the direction of Apollo's car. Thalia and Phoebe were behind Apollo, talking about new security measures for the deer, Mo was behind them, just walking along, and Nico and I were walking at the back of the group, holding hands.

Now that we knew our way to the clearing, it only took an hour to get there. Thalia and Phoebe had already gotten into the back of the red sports car and Apollo was in the driver's seat. Nico and Mo were going to shadow travel back to camp and meet us there.

I was about to get in the passenger seat when my phone starting ringing. I thought that it was peculiar that someone would be calling me this late but I take it out of my pocket. I looked at caller ID and my heart almost froze. It was John. I had told him to call me if I needed to come home.

I quickly answer. "John? Is everything okay?" I ask, slightly panicked.

"Ky, you-you need to come home. Now. Lucas-he's almost there." John's voice was horse.

"I-okay. I'll be there in a few minutes." I say, then end the call.

"Change of plans. Mo, you're going back to camp with Apollo, Thalia, and Phoebe. Nico, I need to get to Baltimore. Now." I say the last word with a bit of urgency.

"Kyra, is everything alright?" Apollo asks.

"No. My stepfather is dying." my voice cracked on the last word.

No one spoke. I could feel them all staring at me. They were probably wondering why in the world I had gone on this quest when I knew Lucas only had a few days left. The truth was, it had kept my mind off of it. I didn't want to think of Lucas leaving me forever.

Mo came up and hugged me before getting into the passenger seat. I walk over to Nico and lace my fingers with his. The next thing I know, I'm plunging into the darkness of a shadow.

**A/N:**

**Well, that's it until Saturday! I hope you guys liked the chapter! Reviews are nice, as usual.**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

* * *

**WARNING: This chapter may cause you to sob uncontrollably. So, if you don't like crying in front people I wouldn't suggest reading this when other people are around.**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

A few seconds later I'm standing in front of my house in Baltimore, with Nico holding my hand. I take a deep breath and start walking up the path to the front door.

I open it and go inside with Nico right behind me. I head in the direction of my mom and Lucas's room. I figure that would be where they all were.

I was right. John and mom were standing next to the bed. Lucas was taking shaky breaths while talking quietly to them. They hear me come in and look towards the door.

Nico lets go of my hand and whispers, "I'll be in the hall if you need me."

I nod numbly then go over to kneel beside Lucas. He looks over at me and smiles. I try to smile back but it probably came out as grimace. I had never experienced someone dying and I don't think I ever want to again.

Lucas tells mom and John to go out, he wanted to talk to me privately for a few minutes. They leave, reluctantly, and close the door quietly behind them.

"I know I've never been your father, but I want you to know that I've always loved you like I was." he gets out, shakily.

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I take his hand and squeeze it. "You have always been my father. You might not be my birth father, but you've always been there for me. Whenever I think about my father, there isn't a question mark. It's always been your face that shows up in my mind." I say.

I look up, letting the tears steam down my face. Lucas smiles a little then reaches up and wipes them away. This was the hardest moment I had ever endured in my life.

Lucas drops his hand and takes another shaky breath. He was studying my face, exactly like Apollo had a few days ago in the Big House. Like he didn't ever want to forget it.

"You know, I don't believe in Heaven and Hell. I believe we get reincarnated into someone else. Depending on the person we were in our afterlife, good or bad, determines the kind of person we are after. You, Kyra, were a very good person in your afterlife." he says.

"I'm not all that great Lucas." I say, looking down.

He puts his hand under my chin and tilts my head up. "You are a good person. You're a wonderful person. I've never known someone with so much spirit. You have always stuck up for your friends and family and that's what matters. You have always thought of others first and that is what makes you good. You are the strongest person I know Kyra, and that's saying something because I know some pretty strong people. You're at the top of the list. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise." he says.

I look down again. No one had ever said anything so nice to me before. It just made this even harder, letting him go.

"Lucas I-" I look up to see he had gone still. His chest was no longer moving up and down. He had a small smile on his face and his eyes were closed.

"Lucas? Lucas!" I cry.

I try shaking his arm but he wouldn't respond. I cry his name over and over again. Each time louder than the last. John barges into the room. I didn't know where my mother was but I didn't care.

I barely hear what John says to Nico. Soon, I feel Nico's arms wrap around my waist, pulling me away from Lucas's body. I was screaming and crying, trying to get out of Nico's strong grasp.

Eventually, he dragged me out of the room. When we get into the hallway, I collapse to the ground, heartbreaking sobs escaping my mouth. Nico bends down and wraps his arms around me.

After I had calmed down a little, Nico goes into the room and tells John he's taking me back to camp. I hear John mumble something and Nico comes back out, closing the door behind him.

He holds his hand down to me and helps me up. We find a shadow and dive into it, the darkness enveloping me once again that night. This time, I didn't notice the numbing coldness, because I was already there.

**A/N:**

**I know you guys probably hate me for doing this. But, it had to be done. I'm sorry I didn't update earlier today! After pottery class I went shopping with my friend and I just got home, so I'm gonna be nice and post two chapters!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

"Ky?" Nico asks.

We had just gotten to camp. We were at the crest of the hill, looking down at the valley. I was staring down at it. It was lit up and bright, glowing warmly. The exact opposite of how I felt at the moment.

I sit down at the base of the pine tree and bury my head in my knees, trying to hold off the tears. It didn't work. I feel the wetness of them soak through my jeans.

Nico comes over and sits down next to me. He wraps an arm around me and lets me cry my heart out. What I had said to Lucas was true. He had always been my father and always would be. Apollo was just sort of here. I barely knew him. He just seemed like a friend, not a father.

* * *

After about thirty minutes, I had cried all I could. The tears would no longer come. I look up. I was extremely exhausted now, mentally and physically. Nico kisses my temple and says that we should probably go down. I nod and get up, reluctantly, dusting off my jeans.

When we get to the Apollo cabin, we find Mo sitting on the steps. He was leaning against a pillar and sound asleep. The sight almost made me smile but not quite. It would be a while before I smiled again.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight?" Nico whispers to me.

"No. I-I need to-I don't know what I need to do." I say, helplessly, sitting down heavily on the stone steps.

The sound of me sitting down woke Mo with a jolt. He started doing a sort of karate chop thing with his hands. He stops when he sees mine and Nico's startled expressions.

"Ky. What-is he? How are-" he stops trying to ask questions and just shakes his head. The answers to his questions were obvious by my somber and tear stained face.

"Oh, Ky. I'm so sorry." he says, scooting over next to me.

Nico comes and sits down on the other side of me. Together, we just sit there. Quiet. Not moving or speaking. Just, quiet.

* * *

"Kyra? Why are you out here?" Will's voice jerks me from my dreamless sleep.

My whole body was aching. I squint my eyes open in the morning sunlight. I look up to see all my siblings staring down at me. I feel a pressure in both of my hands. I look and see that Nico and Mo were both sound asleep on the Apollo cabin porch next to me.

I let their hands slide out of mine and sit up, slowly. My head is pounding and I can't quite remember why I had been asleep on the porch.

Then, the realization hits me like a brick to the face. Watching Lucas die last night, coming back to camp and sobbing on the hill, finding Mo asleep on the Apollo cabin porch, then falling asleep holding Nico and Mo's hands.

I groan and put my head in my hands. The smacking sound of my forehead against the palms of my hands wakes up the boys. Mo did his crazy karate chop thing again and Nico just blinked his dark eyes, staring up at the cabin's overhang.

"Where the hell an I?" Nico groans, shading his eyes.

"On the Apollo cabin's porch." I say, glumly.

"Ky! Oh my gods! I-did we fall asleep last night?" Mo asks, awake all the way now.

"Yes." I say.

"Wait. Why exactly were you asleep on the porch?" Keegan asks.

"I-Last night-" I couldn't say it. My mouth refused to form the words.

I stand up and shake my head. I walk down the steps and towards the woods. I needed to clear my head.

As I walk away, I can hear Nico and Mo explaining what had happened last night. I try to block it out. I didn't want to think at all. I just wanted to be alone.

* * *

I was sitting on a large, flat rock in, what I assumed was, the middle of the woods.

After walking away from the Apollo cabin, I had just wandered for about two hours. I didn't know where I was going, I had just wanted to get away. I had felt like I was being suffocated on the cabin's porch this morning.

So, I had found this place. It was a peaceful place. There was the rock I was sitting on, sunbeams scattered on it, and a small stream trickling along.

I hear the lunch horn and sigh. I suppose I should go to lunch. The last thing I had eaten was a granola bar yesterday at about seven. That was before all the stuff went down at the shrine and then everything at home. I had to admit, I was starving and I felt a bit lightheaded.

I slide off of the rock and start back the way I had come. Wandering this morning in the woods had been a nightmare. I had felt like my mind was being ripped apart with all the events of yesterday. Now, it was peaceful. Sitting on that rock, for gods know how long, really cleared my mind.

I was going to be strong about this now. I wasn't going to wuss out and cry ever single time I thought about Lucas. He would want me to be strong. If he had seen me last night, he would have shaken his head in disapproval. He had said himself last night that I was the strongest person he knew. I wasn't going to let him down.

* * *

When I walked into the mess hall, everything went silent. Gossip really _does_ spread fast here. All eyes were trained on me as I walked to the Apollo table.

I kept my back straight, my shoulders squared, and my head held high. I was not going to let a few stares and whispers bring me down. I march over to my table and sit down next to Will. They were all staring at me, as if I were a alien from outer space.

"What?" I ask them.

The whole mess hall was silent. I roll my eyes and sigh. I stand up on the bench and cup my hands around my mouth.

"Okay! Everybody can go back to their lunch. Nothing to see here. I'm perfectly fine!" I say, then sit back down.

That pretty much made it worse. Everyone's eyes grew wide and some of the campers' mouths dropped open. I just ignore them though. I turn my attention to my plate.

I think about my mom's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that she used to make me when I was little. She used Peter Pan extra creamy peanut butter, blackberry jelly, then grilled it like a grilled cheese sandwich. It was always the best comfort food.

Suddenly, the sandwich appears on my plate. I concentrate on my cup. It fills up with Sprite. That was always what I had to go with this sandwich.

I dig in, the peanut butter and blackberry jelly an explosion of flavors in my mouth. I 'mmmmmm'ed then take a sip of my Sprite. Everyone was still staring at me.

"Come _on_ guys! I know I'm pretty but, geez! Go on back to your conversations, please." I say.

That finally seemed to snap everybody out of their stupor. Conversations started up again and soon the hall was as chattery as usual. I sigh, happy that everyone wasn't looking at me anymore.

For a few minutes, I can understand that. But for _ten_? Seriously, don't they have something else to talk about? My table went back to it's usual of debating best singer/band. Today it was Green Day VS My Chemical Romance.

"Honestly guys. They're both amazing. Can't you pick a sucky band and a good one?" I ask, having finished my lunch.

"Well, which do you prefer?" Scarlett asks me.

"Well, like I said before, they're both amazing. Green day has been around since 1988 and My Chemical Romance since only 2001. Green Day has produced and released 12 albums whereas My Chemical Romance has only produced 4. That's not including EPs for either one. I think the obvious winner for this round is Green Day." I finish.

They all look at me, completely dumbfounded. Danielle was the first to speak up.

"How do you _know_ all that?" she asks.

"I do thorough research on the bands I listen to." I say, shrugging.

Will bursts out laughing. They all look at him like he's crazy.

"What's so funny Will?" I ask, curious.

"I don't know. It's just the way you said that, you sounded so Athena child." he says, wiping a tear away from his cheek.

"Well, it's true. I like to go all the way from when the band was formed and look at the history of it. I quite enjoy it." I say, indignantly.

"Whatever Kyra. Oh, we need to get ready for archery, guys. It starts in twenty minutes." Will says, getting up from the table.

Danielle, Scarlett, and Keegan get up as well. I take one last sip of my Sprite then get up and follow them out.

I see Nico leaning against a pillar in the shadows outside. I tell my siblings I'll meet them in a few minutes, then go over to Nico. He's watching me as I walk up to him.

"Are you alright? Wait, don't answer that. Of course you're not. I don't know how you did that. Walking in and staying completely composed when the entire camp stared at you." Nico says, shaking his head in wonder.

"I'm fine actually. This morning-I just needed to get away. Everything just caught up with me and I had felt like I couldn't breathe." I say.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. Depressed and glum don't suit you very well. That's more a Hades thing and I think I would die if you were my sister." he says.

"And why's that?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Because I wouldn't be able to do this." he says, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me towards him.

He starts kissing my jawbone, working his way toward my mouth. When he gets there, he whispers, "I love you" then kisses me. He pushes me away, shocking me.

"You're going to be late for archery if you don't get going." he says, that boyish grin of his playing at his lips.

I sigh. "I'll see you after. Meet me on the dock?" I ask, backing away towards the steps.

"Sure. See you there." he says, waving me goodbye.

I turn around and start to sprint to the archery range. For the first time that day, I thought things might be looking up. A small smile crept onto my lips then broke out into a full out grin, surprising me. I hoped that wherever Lucas was, he was happy.

**A/N:**

**Well, there you go! I wanted to end this week in a happy note. Hope everyone enjoyed!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

My siblings and I had just finished archery practice with the Athena cabin. We were all going toward our cabin to get our swimsuits then go swimming.

I felt my phone start to buzz in my back pocket. I told Will that I'd meet up with them in a little bit then answered my phone. It was John.

"Hey. How are you doing?" he asks. I could hear the concern in his voice, along with exhaustion.

"I'm better than I was last night." I say, going in the direction of the dock.

I had just remembered that I had asked Nico if he would meet me there after I was done with archery.

"Well, I'm glad you're fending well. Mom hasn't come out of the kitchen since last night. I think she's been cooking." he says.

"When-when's the funeral?" I ask, my voice quiet.

I hear John sigh. This was obviously the part of the conversation that he had been dreading.

"This weekend. Since Lucas was a doctor, he had requested that any of his organs that could be used, be donated to the hospital. They took his body last night after you left and today they're, um, you know." John says.

I shudder at the thought of Lucas being cut open and his internal organs being taken out.

"Do I need to just stay home after the funeral?" I ask, getting to the dock and sitting down, letting my feet dangle over the side.

"No. After the funeral, mom is going to a spa resort for the rest of the summer. She needs to get away from all this and heal. I am going to go back to work and try to get my mind off of it." he says.

"Do you know what he told me last night before he died?" I ask, twirling a piece of my short hair around my pointer finger.

"What?" he asks.

"He told me that I was the strongest person he had ever known. He said that I always thought of my friends and family first and it made me a wonderful person. He said that he believed we were reincarnated after we died and born into a new person. He said that depending on what kind of person we were in our previous life, determined the next person we were. He said that the person I had been before must have been a very good person." I say.

John was speechless. I could just see his surprised face all the way in Baltimore.

"You don't have to say anything. It's just, last night I cried so hard. I was devastated. I had fallen asleep on the Apollo cabin porch with Mo and Nico last night. When I woke up this morning, all my siblings were staring down at me. They kept asking why I had been asleep on the porch. I tried to tell them what had happened last night but I couldn't. So, I ran into the woods. I don't know how long I was out there. Maybe four or five hours. When I was walking back, I felt at peace. You know what happened when I walked into the mess hall?" I ask him.

"What happened?" John asks.

"Everything went silent. Everyone stared at me. There were a few whispers. It was like I had become a criminal or something over the past few hours. I kept my cool though. I held my head high and sat down at my table and presumed to eat my lunch. I had told myself on my way to the mess hall that I wasn't going to let Lucas down. I was going to stay at the top of his list of strong people. When I think about him, I'm not going to cry every time. I'm going to remember the good times I had with him and treasure them." I say.

"Lucas wasn't the only one who thinks you are incredibly strong." John says, quietly.

"Who else does?" I ask, a bit surprised.

"Me. Mom. Nico and Mo. Probably everyone at camp thinks you're strong." he says.

"Thanks John." I say, smiling a little.

I feel vibrations on the dock and look behind me. Nico's gliding towards me, a dreamy look on his face and looking up at the sky.

"John, I need to go. I'll be home on Friday, okay?" I ask.

"See you then Ky." he says.

I hang up and look over as Nico sits down beside me.

"Oh! I completely forgot. What happened when Mo and the others got back last night?" I ask.

"Mo told me that when they got back the deer just leapt out of Thalia's arms and went straight to the Big House. There was a silver light pouring out of the windows. A few minutes later, Artemis came out with the deer trotting along next to her. They were both completely fine. After that, Artemis left with the Hunters. Apollo went a few minutes later then everybody went to bed." Nico finishes.

"Huh. Well, I'm glad everything is right with the world now." I say, looking down at the clear, green water.

"Not everything." Nico says.

I look over at him. He's looking at me intently. "No. Not everything. But it's getting there." I say, a small smile on my lips.

"Good." he says, putting and arm around my shoulders.

**A/N:**

**Well, here's chapter 19! In my opinion it's kinda boring but, there needed to be something here. I promise that on Saturday, chapter 20 is ****_much _****better! I'll see you... well, no... talk to, uh..you know what I mean!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

Today was the day I was absolutely dreading. Today was Sunday, the day of Lucas's funeral. When I had gotten home on Friday afternoon, John and mom had been waiting for me in the living room.

The first thing my mother had done when I had walked in was give me a huge hug, practically sobbing into my shoulder. I had hugged her too, while rubbing her back. It was almost like we had switched places and I was the mother and she was the daughter. It was quite strange and I don't really want it to happen again with her and I.

After, John had said he had to make some last minutes arrangements for the visitation and the funeral. He left, leaving my mother and I alone. The atmosphere had been sad. We sat on the couch and talked for a while. She had wanted to know what all had been going on at camp and I was happy to fill her in. Anything to change the mood a bit.

When I told her about meeting Apollo, her face lit up a little. She had asked me how I liked him and I had told her that he was nice, but I still didn't know him well enough to have a strong feeling for him. She had nodded her head at this.

We watched TV for a while, not really talking, just letting our minds go blank. It was a welcome feeling for me. I had been stressing about the whole thing with Artemis for the past couple of days, along with Lucas on top of that.

Saturday had been sad, to say the least. The visitation had started at three and several familiar faces had floated in and out. I had held my mom's hand a few times while some of Lucas's co-workers or her friends had come up and said their condolences to us. I had stayed as far away from the open coffin as I could. I could barely handle dead bodies in general and I certainly couldn't handle seeing Lucas's.

The whole evening had dragged on until it ended at six. When everybody had left, my mother and John had gone up to the coffin and said their goodbyes. When they were done, John had asked me if I wanted to say goodbye. I had told him that I wanted some privacy for a few minutes and they had left the room.

I had slowly crept over to the beautiful coffin that had Lucas in it. When I got there, peering inside, he looked as if he were sleeping. The scene had been unnerving. I had kept waiting for him to pop up and tell me that he wasn't actually dead, that the whole thing had been some cruel joke. But, that didn't happen and I knew it never would.

I quietly told him that he had been an amazing father to me and I would miss him forever. I told him that I didn't understand why the fates had been so cruel to take him away from us so soon, but it was what they did. By the time I was done, a few tears had rolled down my cheeks and onto his dress shirt. I had said goodbye then turned on my heel, walking towards the door while wiping at my wet face.

Today, everything was depressing. When I woke up, I looked depressed. I reflected on what Nico had said, about depressed and glum not suiting me. I couldn't agree with him more than I did now.

I went to the kitchen, where my mother was cooking up a storm. There were two giant stacks of pancakes, a plate full of bacon, fresh orange juice and strawberries spread out on the counter.

She turns when she hears me come in and smiles a sad smile. "Lucas always liked a big breakfast. I figured we could try and remember the good things about him today and try not to cry too much." she says.

"I agree. He wouldn't want us to be extremely unhappy." I say, grabbing a plate and loading it with my mother's delicious cooking.

"Oh, Nico stopped by this morning. He said he wanted you to call him when you woke up." she says.

"Okay." I say, stuffing a big bite of pancakes into my mouth.

* * *

After breakfast, I went back to my room and started to get ready. I called Nico while getting my black and red polka dotted dress out of my closet. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey. How is everything?" he asks.

"Depressing. My mom seems a little better than she was yesterday, but she's still down." I say, inspecting the dress.

It was a simple, v-neck dress that fell a few inches above the knees.

"Do you need anything?" he asks.

"If you would come down to the funeral with me, I'd be eternally grateful to you." I say.

"Are you sure it will be fine with your mom?" he asks.

"Yea." I say.

"Okay. I'll be there in fifteen." he says, hanging up.

I sigh and look down at the dress. I loved it because of it's simplicity. I didn't want to wear it to Lucas's funeral. It would tarnish it's beauty for me. I'd never be able to wear it again without thinking of this day.

I go back into my closet, searching for something else, something I didn't like as much but was just as pretty. My eyes fall on the black maxi dress. It was silky and had a v-back and a scoop neck. It was perfect. I had never really liked maxi dresses, but I had thought this one was nice when I had bought it. I had never worn it though.

I take it out and lay it on my bed. I go into my bathroom and do my hair and make-up. Then I change out of my pajamas and into the dress. I look at myself in my three-way mirror. It actually looked really good. I walk away from the mirror and slip on my black TOMS. I put my camp necklace back on then grab my black sequined clutch, which had my phone and chap stick in it, and walk out of my room.

* * *

Nico, my mom, and I had left the house shortly after I had come back downstairs. My mother had been in her room getting ready and Nico was in the living room. When I walked in, he turned and looked me up and down, his eyes huge.

"You look stunning." he says, coming over and wrapping me in a hug.

"You don't look too bad yourself." I say, burying my face in his chest. He was wearing all black today. His jeans, shirt, and shoes. All black.

At that moment, my mom decided to come in. Nico and I shot apart faster than lightening.

"Well, are you two ready to go?" she asks, smiling a little. Nico was as red as a fire truck and I'm sure I looked about the same.

"Yea. Come on, Nico." I say, grabbing his hand and walking towards the front door.

* * *

When we get to the graveyard, there are already people there. It's mostly family but there are a few people I recognize from yesterday. I grip Nico's hand and he looks over at me and gives me a reassuring smile. It soothes me a bit but I'm still jumpy.

We get out of the car and we're greeted by John. He takes mom over to our seats and sits down with her. Nico and I walk over slowly. He tells me that pretty much the whole camp had wanted to come and support me but he had told them no. They had apparently been a little disappointed but had understood.

"I don't think you realize how much everybody loves you there." he says.

I shrug. It really _hadn't_ occurred to me how much everybody there loved me. It had almost brought me to tears when he told me everybody had wanted to be here, but I calmed myself down. I had to be strong today.

Nico and I get to our seats and the ceremony starts a few minutes later. Mom wasn't crying as much as I thought she would have but, like she said this morning, she wanted to be strong for Lucas, like me.

We got through most of it. When they started to bring over the coffin, Nico nudged me. I looked over at him to see what he wanted. He motioned silently towards an oak tree a few feet away. There was a dark, hulking shadow lurking beside it.

I inwardly groan. I really hadn't wanted to deal with a monster today. And _why_ it had to show up right when they were about to lower the coffin into the ground, I don't know. It would have been much better if it had waited until after the funeral.

Thankfully, we were sitting in the third row and not the front. If we had been, it would have looked really rude sneaking off. I nudge John, who was sitting on my left, and whisper to him that there was a monster over by the oak tree. He pales but tells me to go and handle it. I look back over at Nico and nod. We stand up, crouching, and go towards the tree.

When we get over there, I have my bow out with an arrow notched and Nico has his gleaming black sword. We approach the tree slowly.

As we get closer, the monster becomes clear. It was a giant hellhound. To my amazement, Nico looks back at me and grins. He lowers his sword and starts walking towards the hellhound. I stand there, dumbfounded, as Nico goes up and hugs the ginormous creature.

Surprisingly, it didn't eat him. Then, I recognized the hellhound. It was Mrs. O'Leary, Percy's pet hellhound. I give a small smile and let my bow and arrows transform back into the sun pendant.

I walk over and pet Mrs. O'Leary. I look around and see Percy, Mo, Will, and Annabeth standing by the tree. I gave a small cry of surprise but then run towards them. They all engulf me in a huge hug.

I had never been so happy to have them with me. The hug broke apart and I see Nico standing there with a grin on his face.

"You planned this didn't you?" I ask him, crossing my arms.

He nods and I roll my eyes. I walk over to him and rest my hands behind his neck. I stand on my tip-toes and kiss him.

"I love you." I say.

His smile grows wider and he kisses me. There was a cough and I turn around to see Percy, Mo, and Will blushing furiously. Annabeth was grinning like crazy.

I look past Nico to see the funeral had ended and everybody was getting up from their seats. Mom and John were glancing over here every now and then while talking to some people. They were obviously nervous about the "monster" Nico and I had seen.

"I need to get back over there. Um, pizza after this? My mom is leaving for a spa resort for the rest of the summer this afternoon." I say.

"Sure. We'll meet you at your house in a bit." Mo says.

"Okay." I say, giving them all a grateful glance and kissing Nico one more time before heading back over to the grave site.

**A/N:**

**Was that a good surprise? Nico is such a great boyfriend! I'm gonna go ahead and post the last two chapters today...**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.

* * *

After the funeral, I went home with mom. I told her that I was going to go out with Nico, Mo, Percy, Will, and Annabeth after I got changed. She thought it was an excellent idea. She said that she was going to start packing when we got home.

When we got back to the house, I went to my room and changed into a pair of cut off short-shorts and a white tank top with a Green Day logo splashed across the front. I kick off my TOMS and put on my hi-tops.

I slip my phone into my back pocket and grab my favorite pair of aviator sunglasses. I get my backpack then glance around my room, trying to think of anything else I needed. Nothing comes to mind. I walk out and back downstairs to the kitchen.

I find my mother's wallet and take thirty dollars out. I walk down the hallway and to her room to say goodbye. The door was slightly ajar and I nudge it open slowly with my foot.

Something seemed wrong. It was very quite in the house. I touch my sun pendant and had my bow in my hand and my quiver slung around my back within seconds.

I creep in, an arrow notched, and look around. My mom's clothes were on the bed, along with her big suitcase, but there was no sign of her.

I tread slowly to the bathroom. The door was closed. I lean my head against the door and hear a slight scuffle. I quickly slip my phone out of my pocket and send a text to Nico.

As soon as I send it, I hear a whimper through the door. I take a deep breath and grip the doorknob. I was going to have to do this without friends to help me.

I turn the knob and quickly sling the door open. I whip my bow up, and observe the scene. My mother was cowering in a corner, tears streaming down her face. The monster that was in front of her was an empousa.

I think the she-demons must have a sort of attraction to my family. First Callie, now this one. I have to admit, I'm getting pretty sick of these creatures.

"Get away from my mother!" I scream at the thing.

It turns and gives me an evil smile. I reel back. This wasn't a different empousa. This _was_ Callie. Obviously, she hadn't stayed in Tartarus for very long.

"Well, hello there sister." she says.

"You are no sister of mine. I'll give you to the count of three to get out of this house and never bother my family or friends again. Or, you can have yet another painful death at my hands. It's your choice." I spit out.

She snarls at me. "I will never leave your family alone, Kyra. I will haunt you and your brother and your mother until you all die of exhaustion. If you live long enough, I'll haunt your children and then their children. Face it, you can never beat me." she says.

"Maybe not. But I sure as hell can kill you as many times as I want." I say, letting my arrow fly.

She ducks, so it doesn't hit it's target, but it _does _manage lodge itself into her right shoulder. She howls and rips the arrow out, splattering the white tiles with green blood. I cringe slightly.

I grab another arrow, seeing that it was a forking arrow. Once it hit the target, Celestial wires as thin as hair, but as strong as titanium, branch off of the tip and start wrapping around it's victim. I had asked Leo to work on some and he had had it done in three days.

What I had discovered about my quiver is that, not only does it never run out of arrows but, if you put a certain kind of arrow in it, an example would be the forking arrow, it makes copies of it. Since I have put the forking arrow in the quiver, it will always be saved to the quiver.

I smile at Callie. She looks a little confused as to why I wasn't scared of her yet. She had no idea what was coming to her.

I release the arrow and it shoots straight towards her stomach. She tries to dodge this one too, but fails. A split second before she jumped to the side, the arrow hit it's target.

She screeches and tries to pull the arrow out. She couldn't though. It had already branched off and embedded itself in her skin. She collapses to the floor, green blood oozing out of the cuts on her body and onto the white tiles.

I walk over and look down on her. She looks up at me with a sort of desperate look on her face.

"Please." she whispers, the pleading evident in her voice.

"Why should I? You made my life miserable, nearly killed my brother torturing him, and tried to burn down Camp Half-Blood. I have no pity after what you have done to me and my family. I never want to see you again. Otherwise, I'll shoot another one of these arrows. And the next time, I'll aim for your head. You can count on that. As long as I live, you will never touch a single hair on any of the people I love." I say, disgusted at the acid green blood under my shoes.

"Kyra?" I hear Nico yell from the foyer. There was panic evident in his voice.

"In here!" I yell back.

I look back down at Callie. There are large cuts all over her body now. I'll have to tell Leo that his arrow did it's job remarkably well when I get back to camp.

Hatred burns behind Callie's eyes as she looks up at me. Nico and the others burst into the bathroom, all their weapons out. Mo and Annabeth go over to my mother. Nico, Will, and Percy come over to my side, staring down at the she-demon. Callie gives a despairing howl and then crumbles into dust.

I look over at my mom. She was on her feet now, but obviously very shaken. I walk over to her. She looks incredibly frightened and I couldn't blame her. I try to reach out to take her arm but she recoils from my touch.

"Mom?" I ask, concerned about her. She had never done that before.

"Mom? I don't know who you are. I've never had a daughter. Now, if you and your friends will get out of my house, it would be much appreciated." she says, pointing stiffly towards the door.

A small sob freezes in my throat. I had no idea what had just happened. My own mother just said that she had no idea who I was.

I feel a hand on my arm, turning me towards the door. I rip my arm out of their grasp. I walk up to my mother and look her in the eyes.

"How can you say that? I'm your daughter Kyra! We just went to Lucas's funeral today with John. You were going to go to a spa resort for the rest of the summer while I was at camp. I have a room full of my things here! Things _you_ got me. You can't just stand there and say you have no idea who I am. You _have_ to know who I am." I plead, hot tears streaming down my face.

"I do not know you and I don't know who this John is either. I don't know how you know about my husband's funeral today or that I'm leaving for a spa resort this afternoon. Now, will you _please_ get out of my house?" she asks, irritation evident in her voice.

"I-" I say, not knowing _what_ to say.

I feel Nico's cool touch on my arm. This time, I let him take me out. As we walk out into the foyer that's so familiar to me, I dig my phone out of my pocket. I go straight to John's number and press the "call" button.

"Kyra? What do you need?" he asks.

I tell him what had just happened in a panic. He lets out a strangled sigh when I finish.

"Callie was _there_?" he asks. There's panic and disbelief in his voice.

"Yes." I say.

"Did she somehow manage to cast an enchantment on mom, to make her forget us?" he asks.

"I don't know. John, what are we going to _do_? Where am I going to stay when camp is over?" I ask.

"You'll stay with me. While she's gone, I'll come over and pack up your things and bring them to the house. We'll figure this out, Ky. It will be okay." he says, his voice soft.

"I-okay. What should I do? Go back to camp or come over to your place?" I ask.

"Go back to camp. See if you can figure out how to get mom back to normal. I'll handle things here until you get back." he says.

"Alright. I'll talk to you later, John." I say, a bit dazed.

"Love you, Ky." he says, then ends the call.

I slip my phone back into my pocket. We had walked to the small park in my neighborhood. Everyone was looking at me, wondering what I was going to do.

"Let's go get some pizza. I'm starving and need to eat something. I feel a bit dizzy." I say, avoiding their concerned looks.

"Okay. Let's go." Percy says. There was a tone to his voice that clearly said to the others that we would not be discussing what had just gone down.

Together, we all walk into the city to mine and Mo's favorite pizza parlor, Le chef Pizza.

**A/N:**

**I bet you guys ****_hate_**** me now. One more chapter!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by the wonderful Rick Riodan.

* * *

During lunch at the pizza parlor earlier, no one had spoken about my mother. I was so thankful for it too. It was like the fates were out to ruin my life or something. First Lucas, now this thing with my mother. Would I _ever_ get a break?

After lunch, Mo and I had taken everybody around town and showed them our old hangouts. There was this one place called Artist's Alley that was covered in beautiful graffiti. We used to come down and watch them spray paint for hours on end. Sometimes I'd even try it, but my stuff never came out as good as the others that were there.

We had also stopped by the studio to see if Anne Marie was there. She had been in the middle of teaching a class. When Mo and I had walked in, she had dropped the tool she had been using and rushed over to us where she presumed to suffocate us in a huge hug.

We had introduced the others then talked for a few minutes. She had said that she missed Mo and I in her classes. I really missed being in her classes too, but I didn't have the time to being at camp and with all the other stuff going on.

We had left after that. The sun had started to set and we had decided that we should probably get back to camp. Percy had called Mrs. O'Leary and a few minutes later she was in front of us, a big wall of black fur.

Percy, Annabeth, Will, and Mo had gotten on her back and disappeared into a dark alley. Nico gave me a long look. It was like he was reading my thoughts or something. It would have been unsettling to someone else, but I had gotten this look several times before. I was used to it by now.

"Do you want to go back now or stay here for a few more hours?" he asks.

"Let's stay until just after sundown. It's beautiful with all the lights over by the dock." I say, taking his hand.

"Okay. Lead the way." he says, a small smile on his lips.

We walk a couple of blocks then reach the docks. There was the old sailing ship and the submarine just past it. The museum, that gave tours of them and the coast guard ship, had closed for the day and the musicians that were normally there had gone home.

I guided Nico towards the water where some benches were. There were a few seagulls and pigeons flying around, looking for food. We sit down on a bench. I lean my head onto his shoulder, our hands intertwined.

"Ky, it will be okay." he whispers, kissing my temple.

"I hope you're right." I say.

I see a few lights come to life out the corners of my eyes. I straighten my head and wait for all the lights to come on. The sun had fully gone down now.

One after another, restaurant patio lights came on. The light bounced off of the water and made it sparkle. This was one of my favorite scenes in Baltimore. I can remember sitting here several times with Mo, watching the lights come on, talking about what we were going to do at pottery class that week or about family troubles. It had always soothed me and it still does. Sitting here with Nico, being quiet and watching the water and birds, was just peaceful.

New hope filled me. I was going to find out what had happened to my mother and figure out how to make her remember John and I. I was not going to be a wuss about this. I was going to figure out what the hell was going on and put a stop to it and that was final.

**A/N:**

**Taa-daaa! It's finished! This is the longest story I've ever written and I must say, I'm extremely proud of it! I've already started writing the next part of the story and it is ****_very_**** dark. I'll probably upload the first chapter of it later on tonight but now I must go eat dinner. You guys are absolutely amazing with the reviews and I want you to know that every time I received a notification that there was a new review, like, or follow on it, it put a huge smile on my face!**

**XOXO,**

**Mrs-diAngelo25**


End file.
